


As Cryptic as the Moon

by Formaldehyde_Eyes



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Claudia Stilinski Feels, Dreams, Emotionally Constipated Derek, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Jackson is an asshole, Knotting, M/M, Masturbation, Mates, Protective Derek, Psychic Stiles Stilinski, Scent Marking, Seer Stiles Stilinski, Sharing Clothes, Violence, actual wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-11 20:08:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5640295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Formaldehyde_Eyes/pseuds/Formaldehyde_Eyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So,” Stiles started, everything about him unsure with how to explain it. “I sometimes have these dreams. About wolves.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I've had planned for a while but never got around to writing it until now. This is only my second attempt at writing Sterek so wish me luck!
> 
> More tags will be added as the story progresses.
> 
> The title comes from the First Aid Kit song, Fleeting One.
> 
> This is not beta'd so if you notice any errors please don't be afraid to point them out to me.

It was the night a 6 year old Stiles woke the house with his agonizing screams that Claudia realized her power was not gone but had merely passed down to her son. Her gift was exactly that, a gift, so it shocked her to know that whatever her son was dreaming about was this traumatic.

“Stiles, Stiles! Wake up!” she urged, shaking the boy’s writhing body. The house phone began to ring, no doubt the neighbours calling about the disturbance, but Claudia left it to John to answer as she persisted in waking the child. “Stiles, please baby, wake up!”

Finally Stiles’ amber eyes shot open, his arms clinging to his mother as his frame racked with his uncontrollable sobs, his face hidden in the crook of her neck.

“They’re burning! Mom, the wolves, they can’t get out. They’re burning!”

It was as if her body was suddenly submerged into artic waters as the understanding dawned on her at those words. When her husband entered the room – the sliver of light from the hallway highlighting his stricken face as he spoke – there was no way of escaping the depths of the water she was drowning in.

“I need to go. There’s a fire at the Hale house in the Preserve.”

* * *

  
A few years after that fateful night – where 7 people died – Stiles was asked a lot of questions about his dreams that involved the wolves. His mother wanted to know as much as possible, saying it was important and that he was a ‘special boy with a special gift’. With being 9 years old and having had the dreams ever since he could remember, reciting the incidents was no easy task. He was never told what they really meant, only that he had to write them down in as much detail as possible and keep them to himself.

The only information he was really told was that his mother had the gift before him and that it had passed down when he was born. She showed him her multiple journals that were filled with dreams about a pack of wolves, the very same pack that he dreamt of. She told him that the things they saw were premonitions into the future of these wolves, that they could come true at any time which was why they wrote them down. She told him that when something huge happened, something that seemed important, that they had to tell the Hales to warn them. Stiles had never really interacted with the Hale family so he didn’t understand why he was linked to them in such a way. And he wouldn’t find out.

When Stiles was 11 and out doing the groceries with his mother, his childhood was soon to be over. As he raced down the aisle to grab some potato chips, there was a commotion behind him. Turning, he found that the shopping cart had ran into the shelves and that his mom was on the floor, convulsing with blood trickling from her nose. There were a couple customers in the same aisle who had rushed to the woman, shouting for help and trying to do something to stop what was happening. Stiles immediately rushed over to her, screaming for her to get up when the jerking stopped, her hand grasped tightly in the both of his.

He stayed that way, holding her hand, until they were in the hospital and he was being dragged away against his will. As he watched the doctors wheel the gurney through double doors, all he could remember from the ambulance ride was hearing his mom’s last breath leaving her lips.

His father had taken the news that his beloved wife was dead like anyone would. He cried, he yelled, he punched the wall, and he curled up with his son, the two Stilinski’s sobbing from their grief.

A distance grew between the father and son, however, when the funeral was over with and the empty bottles of whiskey began to stack up. John would sit on the couch for hours staring mindlessly into space while Stiles tried to keep the house tidy and have meals on the table by day, before crawling into bed to cry himself to sleep by night.

It wasn’t until one day when John had hurled a bottle at the wall – the item hitting a picture frame and causing the two glass objects to smash – that Stiles had had enough. He stormed into the living room and found the picture of his beautiful, smiling mother on the floor covered in whiskey and shards of glass. He looked over at his dad, lazing on the couch and nursing a drink, and snapped.

“No. No, you do not get to keep doing this!” Stiles seethed as he made his way towards his father. “You do not get to keep drinking away your responsibilities. You’re hurting yourself and you’re hurting me.”

His father looked at him for the first time in weeks, his drunken haze sobering as he listened to his son. Stiles grabbed the glass in his hand and threw it away, flinching as he heard it shatter somewhere.

“You need to stop, dad. Mom would be so disappointed.”

With that, he left the house and went to see his best friend, Scott.

When he returned home hours later, Stiles came to a halt when he entered the living room. He found the place to be spotless. The mess from earlier was gone, the pile of empty whiskey bottles was gone, the rubbish that had gathered around his dad’s nest on the couch was gone. John stood in the centre of the room wearing fresh clothes and a clean-shaven face, his hair still slightly damp from his shower. The two looked at each other for a moment before Stiles stumbled towards his dad, John holding him tightly in his arms as he said tearfully over and over, “I’m so sorry.”

 

As the years went by, Stiles continued writing about the wolf dreams he had every so often. They didn’t come as frequently as they once did but that was fine. He had other things on his mind that took up time like school, Scott, his dad, his dick, his love for Lydia Martin, the latest video games. He didn’t mind the dreams – they were usually calming – but he did sometimes wish he could see his own future or other peoples’.

If he had had a little warning about other supernatural things, like werewolves for example, he might have been able to prevent his best friend from being bitten. As it was, the two 16 year old boys had been out wandering the Preserve when the beast came out of nowhere and attacked them – throwing Stiles to the side and biting Scott before fleeing the scene. Scott had been adamant that it was a mountain lion, much to Stiles’ frustration, but when the McCall boy started changing – his strength, speed and senses increasing, his emotions becoming overwhelming, the excess of fur which grew when said emotions got too much or when the moon was at its fullest – he gave in to his friend’s reasoning. Stiles had immersed himself in research so as to support his buddy as much as possible, feeling accomplished when he was able to help Scott control the wolf inside him.

It was about three months after this when Scott found out about the dreams Stiles experienced. It was the middle of the night and they were both asleep during one of their many sleepovers when Scott was awoken by the 17 year old next to him wriggling about, elbowing and kicking him as he groaned and whimpered. The werewolf attempted to wake his friend but Stiles seemed to get worse, his whimpers turning into cries, tears falling from his closed eyes. Scott tried harder, shaking the teen and calling out his name, trying to be gentle but when Stiles let out an almighty shriek, Scott grabbed him and hauled him out of the bed. Stiles’ eyes finally shot open and he quickly wrestled out of his best friend’s hold, dashing out the room to the bathroom where he instantly began retching.

Scott stayed in the bedroom, knowing his friend wouldn’t want an audience, and waited for Stiles to return. When he did, he looked exhausted and paler than usual.  
“Dude, what was that?” Scott asked, worry in his tone.

Stiles made his way back into the bed and sat up, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen from the bedside table and scribbling down everything he could remember about the wolf being chased and shot to pieces. Fresh tears began to fall as he relived the awful dream, hoping that this was one that wouldn’t come true though he knew that it would.  
“Stiles, come on. Talk to me. What’s going on?”

A few minutes later the teen was finished writing, setting the pen and paper down on his lap.

“So,” Stiles started, everything about him unsure with how to explain it. “I sometimes have these dreams. About wolves.”

He pushed the paper towards Scott, gesturing for him to read it. After a couple minutes his friend looked up at him, head tilted in question.

“I’ve had these dreams since I was little. My mom used to have them but they passed down to me when I was born. I didn’t really think much of them until one night when I dreamt of this large pack of wolves being trapped inside a house and burning to death. It was the same night as the Hale fire.”

Stiles glanced at Scott and found his friend staring with his mouth open and eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“My mom told me to take notes on what happened in these dreams, and most of the time the visions are really mundane, but also really calming. She said that if something major happened, though, that I had to contact the Hales and let them know. I don’t know why I have to tell them. I can’t anyway. I mean, the few who survived the fire left without a trace. I’ve searched the police database for anything but there’s no recent contact information.”

The room was silent when Stiles finished, his mind racing with the brutality of how the dark grey wolf was hunted down, filled with bullets then sloppily severed in half, the painful howls the familiar wolf let out as it was wounded.

“So do the wolves represent the Hales?” Scott asked, breaking the quiet.

Stiles shrugged, “I don’t know, maybe. The numbers match up but that’s all I know. Mom didn’t tell me much. I guess she thought she’d be able to tell me later…” A fresh sadness washed over him as he thought about his mother. Every day he wished for her to still be alive, for him to still have two parents, and for him to get the answers he needed.

Scott squeezed his knee through the bed covers, trying to comfort his dear friend before slipping in next to him and hugging him as they fell back to sleep.

* * *

Derek Hale was pouring himself a cup of coffee in his and Laura’s kitchen when he felt it. The excruciating pain of a tie being severed. The mug fell from his hand and smashed on the tiles, Derek roaring as he crumpled to the floor. His body shook as the overwhelming sensation washed over him – tears filling his eyes. After a minute, the werewolf managed to get up and stumble away, trying to get his bearings as a new sense of power coursed through him. Making his way to his room, he stopped when he saw his reflection in the mirror and after a moment of recognition, instantly smashed the glass at what he saw.

Red, glowing eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

A couple days later the two friends were going through the motions of school. Scott was struggling to pay attention to anything but Allison, the two lovebirds being far too adorable for their own good, while Stiles continued to devour the information he was taught in class.

Of course his day was going too well, so when Stiles was putting his books away in his locker for lunch, he was caught off guard as he felt his face being smashed into the metal, feet tripping over nothing, causing the teen to fall to the floor groaning. Nothing was bleeding but that didn’t mean he wasn’t in pain, and as he looked up at the jackasses that are Jackson Whittemore and co. he couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Hey, guys. Long-time no speak. Say, I’ve got this crazy idea – how about you all scurry into the locker room and go fuck yourselves!” Stiles said with a huge grin plastered on his face.

Jackson glowered, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, you little fag-“

“Really, Jackson?” Danny interrupted, glaring at his best friend before reaching down to help Stiles up then walking away from the group.

“Whatever. I don’t know why I’m wasting my time on you anyway,” the asshat spat, barging past the lanky teen and following Danny down the hall, calling out his name.

Stiles ran his fingers through his messy hair as he watched the douche-squad pass him, smiling smugly at them. Brushing himself off and glad that the occurrence had been so minor, he grabbed his bag and made his way to the cafeteria where he found Scott, Allison and Lydia sitting conversing. Taking the seat between his best friend and his lady love, Stiles pulled out his lunch and began to eat. His eyes, as if on cue, wandered over to the redhead by his side.

Her hair cascaded down her back in elegant waves, her patterned dress fitted her body perfectly, and her skin was as luminescent as expected.

“Lydia, you are looking as ravishing as always today.”

The girl simply looked at him with her frightening stare before turning her attention back to Allison, talking animatedly about shoes or something. The pale skinned male nodded his head and went back to eating, counting their little interaction as a success.

By the end of the day, Stiles was ready to go home and have a little ‘me time’ with his hand and some lube. He hung back when Scott was saying goodbye to his girlfriend, not really wanting to get a close-up view of the tongue action that was currently going on. Finally they parted ways and the two best friends were coming out of the school when the tan skinned teen froze, tilting his head and loudly sniffing the air for something, his eyes burning amber.

“Scottie, you really need to be a bit more discreet with the whole wolfie stuff,” Stiles hissed as he dragged his friend towards the jeep, pushing him into the passenger seat before climbing in the driver’s side. Once inside, Scott closed his eyes and took a minute to control himself. When his eyes reopened, they were his normal muddy brown but his face was scrunched up in what Stiles recognized as his ‘thinking face’.

“What is it, Lassie?” Stiles quipped.

“I think there’s another werewolf around town. It’s new, or at least I’ve never noticed it before.”

Stiles snorted as he turned the ignition, the jeep rumbling to life. “Dude, there’s probably a lot you haven’t noticed since you and Allison became an item. I’m surprised you’ve managed to smell something other than ‘honey drenched strawberries with a sprinkling of lemon zest’.”

“Shut up,” Scott grumbled, his cheeks heating up at the mention of his slight obsession over his girlfriend. “This is serious. It’s a totally foreign scent to me, but familiar in a way. Like, I can tell it’s a werewolf. I can’t explain it. Can we follow it?”

Stiles pretended to mull it over before sighing, “Fine. Which way do we go?”

 

Scott rolled down the window and gave the driver directions, the scent taking them through town and into the woods that surrounded Beacon Hills. They followed Scott’s nose down one of the many dirt tracks before he told Stiles to pull over, getting out the jeep and taking in the surroundings.

“So what now?” Stiles asked as he came up next to Scott, pulling his plaid shirt’s sleeves down to stop the chill and looking out into the mass of trees. They had explored the Preserve multiple times in their lives, knew some areas like the back of their hand, but most of the time one part of the forest looked exactly the same as the next.

Taking a deep breath through his nose, Scott started walking in the direction of the scent, Stiles trailing behind him while trying not to trip over all the roots and weeds, much to no avail.

It felt like hours had passed by the time they reached the ruins of the old Hale house – charred black all over but still with a reasonable structure. Stiles edged closer to the house, wanting to see how close the resemblance was to his dream those years ago. There was no denying that it was this home he had the vision of, but his curiosity always got the better of him.

“Stiles, don’t go any closer! It’s in there,” he stage-whispered to his best friend, his eyes almost bulging out when he heard the person inside moving closer to the front door where Stiles was just about to reach. The door swung open and Stiles was thrown back by the occupant of the house, his body landing funny when it hit the ground.

Groaning in pain, Stiles mumbled, “Rude,” before slowly getting up and brushing himself off for the second time that day. Scott was already by his side, helping remove the leaves that were stuck to him.

“Who are you and why are you here.” It should have been a question but the way the bulky, leather jacket-clad man said it was more of a statement.

The two teens shot their heads up at the words, taking in the guy looming over them on the charred porch. They stared as he flashed his eyes at them, the red glow sending a thrill down Stiles’ spine but making Scott whine and bare his throat. The human was filled with an unusual warmth as the man’s eyes met his, his chest feeling full in a strangely wonderful way.

Stiles only had eyes for Lydia Martin, but he could definitely appreciate the fine looking man that stood before him. The dark hair, colourful eyes, menacing eyebrows, strong jaw, the obvious muscles that the man was made of. Yeah, Stiles could definitely appreciate him.

When neither of them said anything, the hulking man snarled, “Answer me.”

Scott instantly did as he was told. “My name’s Scott, this is Stiles. I followed your scent here since I didn’t recognize it and because there’s no other werewolves in Beacon Hills and I was curious to meet someone like me or maybe even the one who bit me,” he rushed out, sounding a lot like Stiles in the way he rambled, causing the human to snort.

The man glared at them some more, his now bluey-green eyes boring holes into Stiles especially, his nostrils flaring. The teen thought it was probably because he was the one who had been about to break into the house, or just because he was Stiles. It happened a lot.

“You don’t know who bit you?” was the next thing tall, dark and broody asked, his eyebrows becoming more menacing.

“Eh, no?” Scott squeaked out, uncertain. “It kind of just attacked us and bit me.”

“When?” the man growled.

Scott looked at his friend for the answer, his mind going blank with the intensity of the other werewolf’s gaze.

Stiles blew through his lips, thinking. “It was like, a few months ago. November, I think? No one else was hurt, just Scotty and yours truly.”

The red-eyed wolf stared hard at Stiles, making the teen puff out his chest and glare back, not intimidated in the slightest. (Okay, maybe slightly intimidated.)

“How did you learn to control yourself without an alpha or any other werewolf?”

“Because I’m awesome and know my shit! And maybe with a little help from Google,” Stiles grinned smugly, goading the man.

There was a tension in the air as the human and wolf had a stare-off, neither budging as they both stood their ground. What that ‘ground’ was, Stiles had no idea. But he never backed down from a challenge. Suddenly the older wolf jerked his head away, glaring out into the woods at the west side of the house. Stiles, taking this as a win, fist pumped the air. What he didn’t expect was for Scott to be looking in the same direction, his body rigid.

“Get inside,” the older werewolf commanded, Scott instantly grabbing Stiles’ wrist and dragging him into the burned down building. The interior was a lot worse off than the outside – the remaining furniture black with soot, the walls covered by the damage from the smoke and flames. Stiles felt a chill go through him at the memory of his dream, the painful howls which echoed around his head. It was then that it all clicked.

“You’re a Hale,” he whispered when the man joined them inside, his head darting in every direction around the room listening to whatever had made them retreat into the house.

“No shit,” he snarled back.

He had that one coming.

“I mean, you’re a werewolf. Your whole family were werewolves. Everything makes so much sense!”

The man turned on him, backing him up into a corner with an intense stare. “What?”

“Uh,” Stiles started, his eyes wide. The man’s gaze were too distracting. “Well, uh, you see, I, umm… I, uh, kind of, you know-“

“Stiles has dreams about wolves and he’s pretty sure they’re actually your family,” Scott interrupted, putting his best friend out of his misery.

There was a silence that overcame the house. Stiles was drawn in by the intensity of the Hale’s look, his body squirming under the pressure of it. The man crowding him flared his nostrils, taking in the scent of him as his eyes flashed their brilliant red.

“Stilinski. Claudia was your mother,” the wolf rumbled out.

Stiles gaped at the man, “You knew my mom?”

“She was our Seer. I forgot she had a son,” he murmured, looking away.

There was the mumbling of men talking outside the house, their snickering laughs making the Hale tense and turn towards the sound, following it with his stare. The human couldn’t make out the words they were saying but by the growl that was coming from both wolves, he took that they weren’t nice things.

Stiles took this time to run through the information he had found out. The Hales knew his mom and of her gift. She never mentioned any alliance with the family – only that she had to tell them when something big happened, usually by phone – but the way the wolf spoke he had clearly met Claudia and Stiles before. And the man in front of him was a Hale himself. The teen wracked his brain for his first name, trying to remember who the survivors were.

“Derek…” he breathed when it came to him. The older male turned his head towards Stiles, nodding in verification.

When the men outside finally moved on and the wolves had calmed down slightly, Scott glanced over at Derek. “Who were they and why were they talking about types of wolfsbane?”

Derek started to pace, his frown glued to the burnt floor. “They’re hunters. And wolfsbane is what they use to kill us.”

Scott looked appalled by this information. “People want to kill us?!” he all but shrieked.

Derek shot him a look with a terse nod. “They see us as a danger to humans. There’s a code which most of them follow but some choose to take matters into their own hands without reasonable cause. They hunt us down and slaughter us with no remorse.”

“Can you turn into a real wolf?” Stiles asked out of the blue, his mind wandering.

The man frowned but nodded, and when Scott looked excited, he shot him down. “Only born weres can turn into the actual animal, not bitten ones. It takes time and practice and years of control.” He turned to Stiles, “Why?”

The human felt sick as he thought about his latest dream, the horror of it becoming too real. “I, uh, I saw a dark grey wolf being chased and shot, then cut in half.”

Stiles watched as Derek’s jaw ticked, his eyes going sad. “My sister. Laura.”

“Where is she? You need to let her know before it’s too late!” Stiles rushed out, pulling out his phone and thrusting it at the wolf but the man didn’t move.

“It’s already too late. I just finished burying her when you two appeared.”

Derek started walking out the back door, the two teens silently communicating whether or not to follow him. Scott simply shrugged so Stiles sighed and trailed after the man. When he reached the steps out the back, he found Derek kneeling next to a fresh mound of dirt, planting purple flowers which seemed to burn his hands.

“This was never supposed to happen. I was never meant to be the alpha,” Derek said, more to himself in the moment rather than to his audience.

It was at that point where Stiles’ phone began to ring, the _Police Academy_ theme tune echoing through the woods.

“Hey, Daddy-o. What’s happening?” Stiles answered, skipping down the steps, shrugging off the emotions from before.

“ _Stiles. Why have I got reports that your jeep has been abandoned in the Preserve?_ ”

“Uh, because me and Scott have gone on a long, romantic walk through the forest. You’re kind of interrupting our date.” Scott glared at his best friend who just rolled his eyes.

“ _You’re not gay, Stiles. And I’d hope you’d have better taste in guys if you were,_ ” his dad retorted, sounding tired. Scott made a hurt sound at the Sheriff’s opinion which actually emitted a soft snort from Derek.

“I could be gay! And you’re right, Scott totally isn’t my type.” This earned him a punch in the shoulder from his friend.

“ _Alright, alright. Just get home, Stiles_ ,” and with that he hung up.

The human turned around to face the two werewolves who were having a deep conversation with their eyes, it seemed. Stiles really didn’t want to disrupt the moment but he did it anyway.

“So, Scottie, we have to go now…” He shifted from foot to foot, pulling on the edges of his plaid shirt which smelled a lot like smoke.

His friend finally tore his gaze away with a nod and wandered over, his eyebrows scrunched in thought.

Stiles gave an awkward little wave-slash-salute to the alpha before turning on his heels and walking back the way they had come from the woods, a strange sadness filling his chest.

“Oh! Derek, I have everything written down. All the dreams, I mean. I’ll drop the journals off sometime or something or whatever.”

Derek simple watched as the two retreated into the depths of the trees.

When they were inside the jeep, Scott finally spoke. “So, Derek wants to help me. Like, train me or something. He said it’s unsafe for me to not have an alpha and a pack. Should I do it?”

Stiles mulled this over as he started the jeep and made his way back down the dirt track, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel.

“I mean, the guy’s intense. He has the whole broody, sexy thing going for him with those menacing eyebrows and those piercing eyes that are more like lasers, and that body was so-“

“Stiles.”

The human blushed and cleared his throat. “As I was saying, he didn’t look like he was actually going to maim us. And he’s a Hale. I’ve never had a vision of any of them hurting anyone, so I feel like we can maybe trust him. I’d give it a go, if I were you.”

Scott simply nodded as he got lost in his thoughts, thankfully not commenting on Stiles’ rambling. Stiles counted that as a win. 

* * *

 

When Stiles arrived home, the Sheriff was still out on his shift so he had the house to himself. He made his way to the kitchen where he grabbed a bag of chips and began stuffing his face, ravenous after the afternoon jaunt. The smell of smoke on the human was starting to get to him so he grabbed his bag and ran up the stairs, throwing the rucksack into his room then grabbing some fresh towels from the linen closet and shutting himself in the bathroom.

Jumping in the shower when the steam was filling the small room, Stiles let the hot water rain down over him, almost moaning at the pressure on his muscles. He quickly lathered himself up with his favourite body wash, massaging his scalp where his hair was growing out from a buzz cut and working his way down his body. He felt himself growing hard as he spent time working his hand over his dick and balls.

Deciding that it had been too long since he had taken part in some ‘Stiles Time’ – 10 hours was almost a record – Stiles took hold of his semi and gave it a leisurely stroke, leaning back against the tiles and watching his hand slide up and down his shaft, bringing it to its full size.

The teen continued with his unhurried strokes, throwing his head back as he let the sensation warm his entire being, a perfected twist of his wrist producing a low moan. His mind went straight to one of his usual fantasies starring the petite redhead – the teen on her knees in front of him, her pretty lips wrapped around his cock as she takes him deeper and deeper.

Stiles closed his eyes and enjoyed the image, but when ‘fantasy Stiles’ gazed down he was greeted by bluey-green eyes staring up at him, the teen’s fingers gripped in tousled black hair, and big, strong hands bruising his hips as his cock disappeared down the man’s throat.

Stiles let out a guttural moan as the fantasy played out with the unexpected turn, his hand pumping faster while his body hummed with energy. With his other hand he took hold of his balls and rubbed them in time with his thrusts, enjoying the two sensations together. His mind raced with the images of a certain alpha kneeling before him, deep-throating him, his muscles bulging as he gripped the teen tighter, the slight scratch of claws against his pale skin. His eyes burning crimson.

“Oh, fuck! Der—nghh!” Stiles groaned as he suddenly exploded, his body shuddering against the wall. He rode out the orgasm, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down.

When the aftershocks died down, Stiles opened his eyes and quickly washed the traces of his activity away. He rinsed himself off and exited the shower, his mind going wild as he thought about what he’d done. Had he really just came to the idea of Derek Hale sucking him off? Yes. Yes, he had.

Putting on his boxers and leaving the bathroom, he couldn’t help but think that it was a damn good image that got him off. Stiles had always been curious – it usually got him and Scott into trouble – so this didn’t completely take him by surprise. The teen very much appreciated the human body in all its glory, whether it was male or female. He’d just never taken the notion further when it came to guys. Maybe he needed to explore this new direction.

Hell, by the way things were looking for Stiles with getting laid, he needed all the opportunities he could get.

Stiles made it to his room, tripping over his backpack and throwing his clothes into his dirty laundry pile. He was dancing away to a song in his head when he heard it. A low growl. Spinning around, he jumped and yelped when he saw the werewolf lurking in the corner of his room, red eyes focused dangerously on the human.

“How the fuck did you get in here?!” he squeaked, stumbling back against his desk. Out of the corner of his eye he caught his curtains blowing in the breeze of the – now open – window.

Derek didn’t answer, just simply started stalking towards the human, now acutely aware he was only in his boxers. He darted away from the desk and over to the door but he was too slow – damn werewolf speed – since the wolf had already shut the door and crowded Stiles up against the wall.

The teen attempted to get away but Derek merely pushed him back, his face only inches from his own. Stiles didn’t know what to do, but as the alpha leaned in closer, he turned his head to the side and exposed his neck like Scott had done earlier. It was either going to save him or kill him.

“Uh, Mr Sourwolf, whatcha doing?” Stiles asked, his voice shaky.

What the human didn’t expect was for the wolf to start inhaling him, his nose pressed against his throat and a rumble coming from his chest. Stiles stayed as still as he could – a mean feat for an ADD kid – while Derek carried on sniffing him, his face moving from his throat to his chest, to his armpits and back to his throat, the rumbling a continuous thing.

Abruptly, the wolf recoiled and turned away from Stiles, the man’s frame vibrating as he clenched his fists. The teen was both relieved and saddened by the lack of contact. The warmth in his chest practically blazing.

“What the hell was that?” he questioned instead, his voice higher than normal.

Derek turned back towards him, his eyes their normal ocean colour but his expression hard. “Where are the journals.” Back to the statement questions.

Stiles took a minute to process what he said before he scurried over to his closet and pulled out the many books. “Uh, these are most of them but these two,” he thrust the two books at the wolf, “are the ones filled with the huge, important stuff. The others have more mundane things in them, like a little red wolf falling from a tree and hitting every branch on the way down. I don’t know how a wolf climbed a tree, to be honest-“

“Andrew.”

“Say what?” Stiles blinked at him.

Derek took a deep breath and met the human’s eyes. “The little red wolf. His name was Andrew. And he was in his beta form at the time. He was about 4 when that happened.” To Stiles’ amazement, Derek let out a small, sad chuckle, “I laughed so hard my mom grounded me for a week.”

The teen didn’t know what to say to that, only marvelled at the way Derek’s cold exterior melted a bit at the memory.

Stiles stepped forward and handed over the other journals. “These are full of those types of, well, memories, I guess.” The two looked at each other for a moment, the younger swallowing hard and the elder watching the bob of his Adam’s apple. “Uh, most of these belonged to my mom, so if you could be careful with them, I’d appreciate that. When you’re done with them, could you return them to me? I can get you copies of them, I’d just like to keep the originals since they were hers.”

Derek observed him some more, his eyes darting all over his face and neck before he made eye contact and nodded, the hard wall back up. Turning on his heels with his arms full of books, Derek leapt out the window effortlessly and sprinted away to a beautiful black Camaro parked down the street.

Stiles took a few moments for his head to catch up with what happened, the cool breeze from the window sending a chill over his practically-naked body.

“Shit.”

* * *

 

Sitting in his car, Derek took his time to calm down as his wolf whined and begged to be back in the human’s room. What had he been thinking?! Truth was, he hadn’t. It was all instinct. The boy smelled familiar, reminding him of the first time he met him as a child. He smelled safe. He smelled right.

As soon as Derek saw him he knew. His wolf howled at the sight of pale skin dotted with moles, lanky limbs, an adorable upturned nose, and bright, whiskey eyes outlined by long, dark lashes. His scent was mouth-watering – a delectable cocktail of fresh linen, sandalwood, and a hit of cinnamon when the human felt some kind of strong emotion. Everything about him drove the wolf crazy.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. None of it was. Laura was meant to be the alpha, she was the one who was meant to deal with all the shit, and she was the one who was meant to find a mate. Not Derek.

But he couldn’t fight being an alpha; it was too dangerous what with the prospect of becoming an omega and going crazy. He hadn’t been brought up to be the leader, though, didn’t have the proper training from his mother like Laura had. He was winging it, following his instincts as best as he could. Like taking Scott in. He knew the teen wouldn’t last long without some guidance, not with the Argents still in residence and other hunters passing through. And Derek needed a pack since Laura had been killed and Peter, well, Peter was nowhere to be found.

He couldn’t fight being an alpha and, as much as he would try, he knew he wouldn't be able to fight the need to be near Stiles. He was truly fucked.

Being back in Beacon Hills after 8 years resonated with him. This was his home, his family’s territory for the last century. He didn’t want to leave now that he was back. Derek didn’t know if it was due to his past – the memories of his childhood – that made him stay, or if it was his future – the home of his wolf’s chosen mate – that did.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning at school, Stiles was pulling textbooks from his locker when Scott appeared, startling him.

“Bad dog!” he reprimanded, flicking Scott’s nose. His best friend simply rolled his eyes.

“Why do you smell like Derek?” he asked instead.

Stiles was instantly thrown off, his eyes going wide and his heart beginning to race. His friend didn’t look anything but curious, but Stiles didn’t really want to talk about the strangely erotic sniffing from the night before that he did not think about later on in bed. He’d had a shower this morning, too, trying to scrub the supposed ‘Derek’ stench off of him in case of this very moment.

It obviously didn’t work.

“Uh, he came over last night to get the journals. Well, it was more like he broke in. Creepy werewolf, dude. Please don’t start doing that too.”

Scott just shrugged and dropped the subject, his head darting to the school entrance where, sure enough, Allison and Lydia were coming in. Cue love-drunk puppy.

“Allison looks so beautiful today. Not that she doesn’t look beautiful every day. Man, and she smells so good! That smile, those dimples, her long flowing hair, those shining eyes-“

“Hey, buddy, why don’t you actually talk _to_ your girlfriend rather than talk _about_ her?”

Scott nodded and his smile only grew when the girl came over to him and kissed him sweetly. Stiles ignored the lovebirds – who were giggling and being all cute and revolting – in favour of looking for his strawberry blonde maiden, finding her cocooned in Jackson Whittemore. He rolled his eyes at the sight. It was about time the on-again-off-again couple got back together. Surprisingly, Stiles was not as envious as he normally would be when it came to seeing those two all over each other. He must be growing as a person.

Stiles shut his locker and acknowledged the couple beside him. “Allison, always a pleasure. Scottie, don’t be late for class.”

With that, he left them and headed towards English before the bell went off.

 

After school, Scott had his and Derek’s first training session out in the Preserve so Stiles went straight home, finding his dad in the kitchen about to leave for his shift.

“Hey, pops. What’s the word on the street?”

His dad merely looked at his son and shook his head with a smile. “Mrs Patterson fell and broke her hip, Judith Low is expecting twins, Norman Mason Jr. was caught shoplifting, and Derek Hale is back in town.”

Stiles choked on the orange juice he was downing from the carton at the mention of the alpha. His dad came over to him and slapped his back a few times, helping the boy cough up the juice.

“Hale?” Stiles croaked out, feigning ignorance.

The Sheriff gave his son a meaningful look, one that Stiles couldn’t quite decipher, as he repeated, “Hale.”

The teen nodded and coughed some more, waving goodbye to his dad and racing up to his room.

Did his father know about his visions? His mom never mentioned John knowing anything but that didn’t mean he didn’t. But what if he actually was clueless to the whole notion, Stiles couldn’t exactly just bring it up and wait for a reaction. Though the look he gave his son at the mention of the Hale was something to ponder at.

Lying back on his bed, Stiles’ thoughts drifted to the day before where he was molested by Derek. He couldn’t figure out why that happened or what he was smelling on him. When Scott was bitten, he’d mentioned that everyone had their own distinct scents, and that he could smell or sense certain emotions. But that didn’t explain why Derek felt the need to get all up in his business. He’d just had a shower so he can’t have smelled bad-

“Oh shit!” Stiles swore, sitting up and going red as he internally freaked out.

How long had the alpha been hiding in his room? Could he hear what the teen was doing in the shower? Was that what he was smelling?

Stiles rolled over and attempted to smother himself in his pillows.

 

_The deep depths of the woods where a beautiful black wolf stalks a rabbit. Slowly, so slowly, it creeps towards the animal, poised for the attack, just watching the defenceless bunny before diving forward and-_

“Stiles, wake up.”

With a jerk, the human tumbled out of bed and landed awkwardly on the floor, groaning in pain. He opened his eyes to find his best friend staring down at him.

“Scott, why? Why do you do this to me?” Stiles grumbled as he got up from the floor and sat on his bed, glaring at the wolf.

“I thought you’d want to know how the training went,” the tan boy pouted.

“Go on, then. How was it?”

Scott instantly grinned and began to recount the day’s activities at werewolf camp. He mentioned how Derek manage to get Scott to shift without him going through the usual intense emotions but with an alpha’s command, how to track different scents, how to take away pain from humans and animals-

“You can heal people?” Stiles asked in disbelief.

“Well, no, not really. I can just take the pain away. I can’t actually fix someone,” Scott shrugged.

“Sounds pretty awesome. When’s the next session?”

“I’m not sure, he said he had some stuff to sort out but would let me know. We’ve got lacrosse practice tomorrow anyway, and I’ve got that dinner with Allison’s family on Saturday.” Scott replied, looking at his phone. “I’ve got to go pick up mom. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, waving to his friend and leaving the room, Stiles listening as he heard the front door close and a car start.

The human got up and went to his computer, deciding that he should probably do some homework. Or Google random shit.

 

School took a lot more energy out of him than usual the next day and by the time they had lacrosse practice, Stiles was glad he was a bench warmer and could half-ass the drills.

Getting changed was always a pleasure for the teen, especially when he removed his top and was repeatedly punched in the stomach and kidneys by his peers. Yes, Stiles loved lacrosse practice when it started with him in the locker room bent over and gasping for air.

Out on the field wasn’t much better. He was continuously tripped and pushed around, the sticks swiping him when they could and the ball hitting him when the jackasses really put their mind to it and aimed. That – plus the fact Stiles was a hazard to himself the majority of the time – caused a lot bruising.

Scott would always try to help him up and badmouth those who were to blame, but there wasn’t much he could do and that was fine by Stiles. He didn’t let it get to him. Coach Finstock had finally seen enough and told the teen to take a seat, mouthing off to the others about how the game was a ‘team-sport and all that jazz’. Stiles zoned out.

That was until he was filled with that unusual warmth again, this time paired with the feeling of someone watching him. Whipping his head around the field, he couldn’t initially spot anything out of the ordinary but when he saw a flash of red, his eyes found the perpetrator in the treeline.

Somehow feeling like there was a lasso around him, he was being pulled towards Derek. He bypassed the team on the pitch and wandered over to where the alpha was standing stoic.

“Do you like watching teenage boys playing with sticks and balls?” Stiles said as he reached the wolf.

Ignoring the question, Derek asked, “Why do you let them treat you like shit?”

The teen shrugged, “I don’t ‘let them’, it kind of just happens-“

“It shouldn’t just happen, Stiles,” the man growled, stepping closer to him. “Why do you even play this sport?”

“Scott wanted to join but wouldn’t do it alone so I tried out too.”

Stiles suddenly felt exposed when Derek didn’t reply, but let his eyes dance all over the teen, scrutinizing every part of him. When their eyes met, Stiles’ breath caught and his heart started to race. He didn’t understand why he was having such a reaction to the man, only that if he looked away he was sure he was going to shatter into tiny fragments.

Then he felt Derek’s hand on his neck, his thumb softly stroking his Adam’s apple before Stiles felt a numbness all over his body. Glancing down, he saw that there were thin, black lines running up the alpha’s hand, his wrist, and past the cuff of his leather jacket. As this happened, Stiles felt lighter, his body not so much numb but free of aches and pains.

“What happens to it?” he asked quietly as he looked back up at Derek, finding the man already staring at him.

“My body takes it and consumes it. It only hurts for a moment.” When he could see that the human was about to object, Derek pleaded, “Stiles, please. Just let me do this.”

The sincerity and urgency in his eyes had Stiles almost falling over. Instead, he nodded and let the alpha do what he needed to do, enjoying the feel of his fingers gently trailing over the delicate skin of his neck.

When the lines on Derek’s arm faded, the man hesitantly removed his hand from Stiles’ neck with one last caress and took a step back. The teen felt a lot better than he had but he could already see some of the bruising starting to appear on his arms and legs.

“Tell Scott to come by on Friday,” the alpha said, his tone hard and restrained, before turning away and walking back into the woods.

Stiles watched him walk away for a moment until the sound of Coach’s whistle distracted him. When he reached the other players, Scott jogged over to him. “What was that about?”

“Your mighty alpha was just organizing your next training session. I hope your Friday isn’t fully booked up.”

 

A few nights later, Stiles shot up from his bed as the remnants of his dream dug its claws in and wouldn’t let go. He could still hear the howl of pain and fear coming from the black wolf when it had been shot, a woman with dirty blonde hair holding the rifle as a wicked smirk appeared on her face.

His heart was pounding in his chest, fear trickling down his spine. He needed to let Derek know about the black wolf now. Jumping out of his bed, Stiles pulled on a pair of sweats and a hoodie, tying his laces once he had his shoes on, and rushing down the stairs.

It was the middle of Friday night and his dad had the late shift so Stiles didn’t need to worry about waking him as he stumbled through the house. Grabbing his keys, he left the house and locked the door then got into the jeep and began the journey to the Hale house. He didn’t know if Derek was going to be there or not but it was his best option.

After the twenty minute drive, Stiles was making his way up the drive to the house and parking the jeep. He hadn’t really realised how dark it was in the woods until he was standing outside in the cold with only the crescent moon highlighting the burned down home.

Making his way up the porch and into the house – cue creaking door – Stiles was shrouded in near darkness, the only light coming from a few lanterns. “Derek?” he called out, a slight tremor in his voice.

He heard a familiar rumble before he was being manhandled and pushed face first against a wall, a firm torso pressing against his back as the wolf buried its face into the crook of Stiles’ neck. The human couldn’t move even if he wanted to – the hulking man caging him in. The only negative Stiles could find was the strong smell of burnt wood against his face.

“Uh, Derek?” Stiles mumbled, only to be answered by a deep growl and a thrust into his backside which made the human gasp.

Stiles was at a loss for words, his mind going crazy as the alpha behind him continued rutting against him, his nose tracing shapes against his skin. Was this normal? Did Scott get the same treatment? That thought turned the human’s stomach, an irrational jealousy coming over him. No, surely his friend would have said something about it if he had experienced the sniffing and grinding.

Stiles could feel himself getting hard in his pants and that was so not his plan. Obviously Derek was in some weird headspace and didn’t understand what he was doing. Why else would he be doing this? Whatever was going on with Derek, it was having a similar effect from what Stiles could tell by the stiff shaft digging in between his ass cheeks.  
When the teen felt the sensation of sharp, dangerous teeth scrapping against the soft, sensitive skin of his neck, an involuntary moan escaped past his lips. That seemed to bring Derek back to the real world as he instantly detached himself and threw himself across the room.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Stiles. Fuck, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean- I’m sorry,” the alpha kept apologising, his hands in his black hair and his back to the teen.

Stiles’ heart sank at his words, though he knew better than to hope for a different outcome. The fact Derek wasn’t even looking at him made him feel inferior and humiliated. He tried to keep his eyes off the wolf but he couldn’t stop his gaze from wandering over the man’s broad shoulders, tapered waist, low-riding jeans, and black spiral tattoo.

“Derek, don’t worry about it,” Stiles said awkwardly. “Mistakes happen.”

The alpha spun around and gave him a look that Stiles couldn’t quite understand. He knew it was most likely disgust, but he could see a hint of sadness as well.

“Why are you here?” Derek asked, voice going back to its usual gruffness.

“I, uh, I had another dream. This time I saw a black wolf being shot-“

“Where?” Derek snapped.

“I don’t really know. I think it was at the treeline near the cemetery? I can’t be sure, though,” the teen replied, wracking his brain for any further details he had to offer. “The person who shot the wolf was a woman with blonde hair.”

Derek appeared to pale at that information which only made Stiles worry more. “What is it? Who is she? Who’s the black wolf?”

The alpha started pacing, his strides long and heavy. “I’m the black wolf, Stiles. And that hunter was the one who killed my family.”

“You know who killed your family?! How?” Stiles questioned, shocked at what he was hearing.

Derek didn’t answer, though. Instead he asked, “Where’s Scott? I need my pack.” He let out a growl as he punched the wall closest to him, the whole house shaking. “I need more betas. I need my pack to grow,” he said, more to himself than to Stiles.

“Why?”

The alpha turned on him, eyes glowing. “Because I’m weak and vulnerable with only one wolf and one human for a pack. I can’t defend against the Argents with such a small pack!”

“The Argents?” Stiles gaped, completely baffled. What had the Argents got to do with anything?

Derek let out a mirthless laugh. “You’re a smart kid, don’t you know what Argent means?”

Stiles ignored the ‘kid’ jibe and instead tried to come up with an answer. “Well, for Scott it means a magnificent girl who has perfect dimples and smells like honey and strawberries-“

“What?” the alpha roared, making the teen jump.

“Scott’s girlfriend is an Argent. Allison, her name’s Allison. Is this a problem?” Stiles queried, eyebrows raised.

“Argents. Are. Hunters.” Derek ground out.

Stiles attempted to process this but it wasn’t computing. How was sweet, gentle Allison one of the people who massacred werewolves? Sure, her dad was an arms dealer but that was totally legit – he’d checked it out at the police station one time.

“They burned down this very building. They killed innocent people. They haven’t stopped hunting us. Laura was probably-“ Derek choked on his words, not able to finish his sentence. “For all I know, they have my uncle locked up somewhere.”

“But the Argents are so normal! A little intimidating but you have that going for you also so I’m not judging things on that. Scott seems to trust them.”

“Scott is in love and blind to the world around him. It’s what they do; they get inside your young, easily-influenced head, trick your wolf into believing they’re right for you, make you into their pet before incinerating your life, leaving you helpless,” the alpha spat ferociously, getting in Stiles’ face. The teen could see the fangs and claws coming out so he quickly backed away with his hands raised.

“The person you’re talking about isn’t Allison. It’s some other Argent. Someone who caused you a lot of pain. And I’m guessing it’s the blonde in my vision,” Stiles said, trying to soothe the wolf but it didn’t seem to be working by the sound of the great roar which shook the house and the teen.

The door burst open and Scott bounded in, completely shifted into his beta form, eyes darting from Derek to Stiles and back again. The human tried to warn his friend but he wasn’t quick enough. Derek grabbed him by the throat and threw him outside, chasing after him and pining him to the ground.

“You’re sleeping with an Argent?!” he growled right in the beta’s face who looked lost and helpless.

“We haven’t actually...why? Why does it matter?”

“Argents will destroy us,” was all the man said before shifting into his mesmerising wolf form and taking off into the woods, leaving the teens in his wake. Stiles helped his friend up and brushed off the dirt on his clothes.

“So, what the hell was that about?” Scott asked, still shaken from the clash.

“Turns out Argents are a family of crazy werewolf hunters. Some of which were the cause of that,” Stiles replied, pointing to the remains of the Hale house.

Scott’s eyes were comically wide. “What the hell am I supposed to do? I’m meant to be having dinner with them tomorrow evening. I’m being introduced to Allison’s aunt! I can’t sit there surrounded by hunters. What if they poison me?! Allison isn’t a murderer. I mean, I don’t think she is. Oh God, what if she’s a murderer? Stiles, I can’t-”

“Dude, take a breath. I don’t think Allison is a killer either, so just breathe. But obviously you need to be careful now. Do you even think she knows about werewolves?” When Scott shook his head with a shrug, Stiles carried on. “See, nothing to worry about when it comes to your lady. Her family, on the other hand… Wait, did you say something about an aunt?”

Scott had finally got himself under control and was nodding. “Yeah, Kate. She’s basically Allison’s sister by the sounds of it.”

“Do you know what she looks like?”

“Yeah, Allison showed me a picture of the two of them together. They’re pretty similar but Kate has blonde hair and is older.”

It all clicked, unfortunately. “Fuck!” At his friend’s look of confusion, he elaborated. “Derek and Kate have a kind of history and from what I can come up with, she manipulated him and somehow managed to kill his family.”

“Fuck.”

* * *

 

There was no sign of Derek for the next couple days, but Scott was adamant that he was fine since he could sense it through their bond. That still didn’t ease Stiles’ nervous energy or the peculiar ache in his chest.

On Saturday night Scott came by before he had to be at Allison’s, in need of a pep talk and possibly one of Stiles’ Adderall. In the end, the wolf had nothing to worry about as he was only hounded by the usual ‘what are your reasons for dating my daughter’ and ‘I will end you if you hurt her’. All in all, it was pretty successful.

Though that success was most likely due to the fact Allison’s aunt couldn’t make it. Some ‘work emergency’ had taken up her time. When Scott asked what she did for a living, his girlfriend mentioned something about her grandfather’s business which her own dad had strayed away from. She didn’t know any other details and so the wolf was left feeling anxious and unsure.

It was just coming up to midnight on the Sunday and Stiles was settling down to watch some porn. With his laptop perched beside him on his bed and a new bottle of lube on his nightstand, the teen scrolled through his favorite site for something different (i.e. gay porn). He didn’t really know what he was looking for exactly but when he saw a well-built guy with dark hair and stubble with some skinnier guy, he instantly clicked on it.

He relaxed into his mattress and let the video play, thankful that there wasn’t a huge storyline build-up at the start and that it got into the action pretty quickly. Stiles began to rub the outline of his cock through his boxer-briefs, his eyes flicking from his hand to the screen. The video was quite long so he didn’t want to rush, his movements slow and sure.

Soon enough though, his dick was straining against the fabric as he watched the skinny guy being rimmed by the broader one. He was just about to pull his erection free when he heard a bang, his bedroom window sliding open.

The sound and movement panicked the human, making him grab the nearest object to use as a weapon. He was just about to throw it and hope his aim was still mediocre at best when he recognized the perpetrator.

“Derek?” he squeaked.

“Is that lube?” the man asked, his voice sounding strained. It was not hot at all.

Stiles dropped the bottle and willed his cheeks to go back to their normal pale colour, shutting his laptop when a loud moan erupted from it. He jumped off his bed and thanked every God that he had his underwear on, even though he was still half hard.

He could see Derek’s nostrils flaring, his eyes dancing all over Stiles and his bed. It was too much for Stiles and so he rambled.

“So, uh. Hey! How you doing? What, uh, what are you doing- oh my god, what is that smell?!” the human retched as he got closer to Derek. “Did you stand in a dead body or something?”

Ta-dah! Erection gone.

The wolf simply growled and removed his signature leather jacket, revealing a bloody wound that had stained his dark grey Henley’s left sleeve. The pungent smell wafted over to Stiles – the sight and smell turning his stomach.

When the teen turned on the main light, he saw how truly ill Derek looked. His skin was sickly pale with a light sheen to it, dark bags under the man’s dull eyes, and murky lines appearing along his forearm. “What the hell happened? Why are you not healing?”

“I was shot-“

“But I warned you! Idiot,” Stiles interrupted, earning a threatening growl.

“I was shot with a wolfsbane bullet. You need to take me to Dr Deaton,” the alpha spat, his breathing haggard.

The teen looked at him incredulously. “You want me to take you to a vet.”

Thankfully the wolf was still able to roll his eyes. Hard. “He’s more than a vet. He was my family’s emissary. Just take me to him, Stiles.”

But the human was already getting ready to leave, gathering his keys and phone as he made his way to the door. “I doubt Deaton is going to be there at this time of night so Scott will have to talk to the man. Just stay quiet, my dad’s asleep.”

They silently made their way down the stairs, exiting the house and getting into the jeep. Stiles threw his phone to Derek as it was dialling Scott’s number.

“I can’t believe I’m taking a werewolf to a vet. You better not get any blood on my seats!”

By the time they reached the veterinary clinic Derek was looking a whole lot worse, his eyes drooping and the stench getting stronger.

When Stiles got around to the other side of the vehicle, he opened the passenger door and had a very heavy werewolf fall onto him, the man’s nose pressed right against his neck taking deep breaths.

“Right, uh, this again. Come on, Sourwolf, time to see the vet,” the teen said, wrapping an arm around the wolf’s waist and hobbling them over to the back door of the clinic where Scott was waiting anxiously. He helped the two through the door where Dr Deaton was standing patiently, an eyebrow quirked as he took in the sight of Derek buried in Stiles’ neck.

When they made it into the examination room – where Stiles and Derek crumpled to the floor – Deaton attempted to separate the wolf from the human but that only resulted in Derek snarling at the dark skinned man.

“Good to see you again too, Derek,” the vet stated. “Mr Stilinski, could you calm your friend down so I can maybe inspect the wound.”

The teen just stared up at the man. “What do you expect me to do? Give him belly rubs and a few treats? Why doesn’t Scott do something?”

“Because it’s not him who Derek has found comfort in. So please, can you at least make sure he won’t attack me,” Deaton replied, pulling on gloves and walking over with a pair of scissors.

So Stiles attempted to calm the alpha by the only way he could think of – by talking nonstop about anything and everything that came into his head. It seemed to work by the way Derek only growled a little at the vet as he cut away the man’s top. When the material was removed – hello pecs and abs – the dark, gruesome lines were making their way up his shoulder and neck, some stretching across his chest.

“That’s what wolfsbane does to us?” Scott asked from where he was standing behind Deaton, an expression of worry on his face.

“When it’s not treated, yes.” The vet took a pair of long tweezers to Derek’s arm, digging them into the wound as the wolf grit his teeth. Retracting the instrument and a bullet, Deaton set them on the steel table. “Do you have any idea what hunter shot Derek?”

“I’m pretty sure it was Kate Argent since that’s what I dreamt,” Stiles replied, earning a slow nod from the wolf curled up to him. He saw Scott blanch at the name.

The vet looked inquisitively at the human, “You share your mother’s gift, I see.”

Before Stiles could question further, the man walked over to a locked cabinet and pulled out a container and a lighter, placing them on the table. He opened the box and pulled out a dried stem of wolfsbane, placing it on the steel countertop then set it alight. There was a bright flash as it burned before it went out.

The vet scrapped the ash into his hand and made his way over to Derek. “This is going to hurt,” he said, then placed the powder into the wound. The effect was instant as the wolf started to struggle and whine, his teeth scraping against Stiles’ skin almost as if he really wanted to bite it.

After a minute, Derek finally stilled. Stiles let out a deep breath and relaxed into the wall and the wolf.

“Just as well the Argents haven’t changed their preferred species of wolfsbane in all these years,” Deaton said as he took his instruments to the sink and started to wash them. “The shot was quite close to his heart. It’s a good thing Derek has a strong mate-“

A snarl made the vet stop, confusing Stiles. What was he talking about anyway?

Derek detached himself from Stiles and stood up on shaky feet. The wound had healed perfectly but the wolf still looked terrible – if Greek gods could look awful. He stormed out the clinic without a word, leaving Stiles and Scott to thank Deaton for his help before they made their way to go.

“Mr Stilinski, I have a couple books you can read about your gift. Your mother found them very informative.” The vet walked into what the human guessed was the man’s study, taking a few moments before returning with said books in his grasp, handing them over with a curious smile.

“Thanks…” was all that Stiles could say, making his way back out to his jeep. “Need a ride, buddy?” he asked his friend.

“Nah, I’ll probably be quicker running,” Scott snorted, bumping his shoulder into Stiles’. “I’ll see you at school. Text me if anything happens.”

Watching his friend sprint off into the shadows of the night, Stiles shook his head in affection then walked to his vehicle where he found Derek standing next to it. He wanted to laugh at how petulant the alpha looked – shirtless with his arms folded, staring at the ground.

“Thought you would have snuck off to do some extra brooding,” Stiles uttered, climbing into the jeep without another glance at the wolf. He did not expect the man go climb in next to him.

Derek, noticing the human’s confusion, said, “I’m still weak. I can’t protect myself as well as usual. And there are hunters searching the house which is why I was at the cemetery.”

Stiles nodded and turned the ignition, wanting to question further but knowing Derek didn’t want to talk about why he was in the graveyard. The teen had his suspicions. When he didn’t want to be at home he usually found himself sitting at his mom’s grave. Instead, he drove them back to his house because it was obvious Derek wasn’t staying anywhere else, thankful that his dad was still asleep as they made their way to his bedroom.

“A shower. You need a shower,” Stiles stated, grabbing towels and directing Derek to the bathroom and instructing him how to use their shower. When the wolf nodded and began to unbutton his jeans, Stiles skipped out before he got a real eyeful of the forbidden fruit.

As he waited for Derek to return, the teen cleared away his lube, laptop and tissues then went on to lay out a makeshift bed on the floor for himself. He quickly removed his shoes and jeans then attempted to clean up other little messes around his bedroom.

“You can have the bed, I’ll take the floor,” Stiles said when he heard the man enter the room.

“We can share the bed, it’s big enough,” was Derek’s reply.

Stiles turned and found the man walking towards the bed, his body clean and relaxed and only clad in boxer-briefs, giving the teen a mouth-watering view of his ass as he climbed into the bed.

Stiles stared for far too long before he slowly edged to the bed and cursed his erratic heartbeat as he made his way under the sheets. He could feel the heat radiating off the man next to him, the urge to curl up to him plaguing his mind. Instead, he lay there as still as possible and stared up into the darkness as his thoughts ran.

“Stiles, would you just relax,” Derek groaned, sounding tired.

“Why do you sniff me so much?” Stiles blurted out.

The room stayed silent for a long minute until the wolf finally replied, dodging the question. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No!” the human exclaimed, flushing red at how eager he sounded. He swore he heard Derek chuckle. “I just don’t understand why you do it. Scott doesn’t do it and I’ve never seen you sniff him up close and personal. I’m just curious.”

Another silence descended on them, this time for longer. Stiles felt himself growing sleepier, his body relaxing into the mattress and his eyes drooping.

He could just make it out when Derek mumbled, “Because you smell like home.”


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Stiles woke up alone, all traces of Derek gone bar the memories that lingered in his head. The thoughts that riddled him made him smile like a fool but part of him worried that he had actually made it up in his sleep-addled brain the night before. If that notion was true, Stiles knew he’d be crushed. Because he was starting to like the guy a lot. Probably way too much for only knowing him a week but the teen felt like he had known him a lifetime through his dreams.

Stiles raced to get ready and out the door – waving a goodbye to his dad – leaving him only a minute until his first class started. The rest of the morning drifted by in a similar fashion and before the human knew it, he had his tray and was sitting at his and Scott’s usual table surrounded by his friends. Or well, Allison’s friends.

Everyone was immersed in their own conversations so nobody was paying attention when Scott leaned closer and quietly asked, “So what’s the deal with you and Derek?”

Stiles choked, some of his juice dribbling out his nose as the question took him by surprise. He stared wide-eyed at his friend, mouth agape, but the wolf simply urged him on.

“Come on, I know there’s something. I can smell it.”

“Okay, first, that is so invasive. You need to learn some wolfie boundaries. And second, I really don’t know. He sniffs me a lot. Like, jumps me and feels the need to breathe me in. I’m pretty sure he has an unhealthy fascination with my neck,” Stiles said, shaking his head in an affectionate way.

Scott looked at him and gnawed on his lip, his eyes focused on everything except his friend. “Is he, uh, hurting you? Like, you know, is it _unwanted_? ‘Cause that’s not cool, man. I will beat the shit out of him if he-”

Stiles spluttered some more. “What?! No! It’s definitely wanted…” his cheeks burned at his outburst and the truth of his words. The others at the table glanced over at him before getting back into their own discussions again. “Uh, I mean, I don’t know, man, I like it but I don’t know what it means. You don’t sniff me uncontrollably so I’m not sure what it’s about.”

His best friend thought for a moment before leaning in closer. “If Allison knew that I was a, _you know_ , and she was okay with it, I’d totally be all over her, scent marking every inch of her body, getting my hands and face everywhere I _craved_ to touch-“ Stiles coughed, his own cheeks reddening, as did Scott’s. “Uh, right. I’m just saying, that’s what I’d do to Allison if I could.”

Stiles mulled over what his friend said, slightly mortified at Scott’s confession but he managed to bypass that. Obviously the sniffing was a wolf thing, Stiles had figured that one out ahead of this conversation. He just didn’t understand why the werewolf was compelled to smell him so intimately. He got why his best friend would want to do that sort of thing with Allison – he was madly in love with her. There was no way in hell Derek felt that way about him.

“Oh,” Scott’s girlfriend suddenly turned to them. “I’m having a party at my house on Saturday night since my dad’s out of town. My aunt’s staying to watch me but she’s super cool. Of course, Lydia is doing all the planning so it’ll be great,” she beamed her dimpled smile at the strawberry blonde.

The two boys looked at each other before animatedly agreeing to go. It had been a while since they had been to a party and an even longer time since they were directly asked by the host.

 

The rest of the week dragged on but his days were always made a little better by the appearance of a certain alpha, whether that be in the street or in his room. Being in Derek’s presence seemed to settle him more than any medication ever has before, yet it also made his blood pump faster.

It was on the Thursday night when Stiles had a dream involving a black and white-speckled wolf clawing from inside a cage, the person it was trying to get at hidden from view. It was a Hale wolf, he knew that much, but with Derek’s verification that it was his uncle, Stiles felt a wave of sorrow. The alpha didn’t seem as upset as the human expected, but when Derek mentioned that Peter had tried to kill Laura for her power a while back it made sense why he wasn’t distressed.

Finally the weekend came and Stiles and Scott were making their way to the Argent household. Derek wasn’t happy about their plans yet he let them go when the human promised to call if something happened – which meant he finally got the alpha’s number and so could burden him with nonsense whenever.

When the two made it into the house they were greeted by Allison, who looked beautiful, and Lydia, who made Stiles’ jaw drop like always.

“Hey, boys! Drink is in the kitchen and most people are out back,” Allison grinned, taking a hold of Scott’s hand. “We need to find Kate so she can finally meet you!”

With a significant look from the wolf, Stiles let his friend wander off before turning back around and finding Lydia had already vanished. Weaving through the crowd, he made his way to the kitchen to get his drink on. He was quite amazed at the amount of people he recognized from school who were there – he’d only thought close friends and those of higher status would be in attendance, not those from the bottom of the food chain. Though Lydia had done the planning, it was clear that Allison still had a say in who was invited.

Stiles grabbed a beer and quickly downed it then reached for another one and made his way through the large house towards the garden. There were hordes of kids in the back yard with some jumping into the pool as well, all having great fun by the sounds of it. However, it was the polar opposite for Stiles as he stood against a wall, alone, and bobbed his head in time with the blaring music.

Without his best friend, Stiles wasn’t in the mood to be at the party.

He was just contemplating texting Derek when his phone was smacked out of his hands, along with his beer, by a volleyball. Shooting a glare at whoever it was, he wasn’t surprised to find some of Jackson’s cronies sniggering from the pool, shouting about having a good aim. Stiles simply flipped them off and retrieved his phone, making his way back inside the house where it was hopefully safer.

He ended up downing a few shots and bringing a drink into the living room where he found an empty seat next to a couple who were all over each other. The teen ended up staying there for the better part of an hour, drinking his way through his red cup while playing games on his phone. The couple next to him were long gone.

Finally Scott appeared behind him, leaning over and sniffing him.

“You’re drunk. And sad. What’s up?”

Throwing his head back to look at his friend, he glared. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been left by myself for the past hour at a party where no one talks to me, with only alcohol to keep me entertained. Why on earth would I be drunk and upset?”

The wolf whined and looked miserable at his friend’s words. “I’m sorry, man. Allison-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I just thought you and me would be able to have fun.”

“We can! What do you want to do? I saw that there was-”

“Scott, who’s this handsome guy?” a woman purred, appearing out of the blue. She had blonde hair, angular features, and was wearing a revealing red dress that accentuated her curves.

The wolf blushed and introduced the two, “Uh, Kate, this is my best friend, Stiles. This is Allison’s aunt, Kate.”

She gave Stiles a predatory smirk as she reached her hand towards the teen. “Pleasure to meet you, sweetie.”

The human could only stare at her as he shook her hand, his head reeling with the connotations of this woman. The way she looked hungrily at him, the playful glint in her eye, and the air around her that screamed danger. All of it made Stiles sick as his imagination came up with the multiple ways she may have manipulated and tortured Derek.

“Nice to meet you, too.”

Her grin grew, her focus never leaving Stiles even when she asked Scott to get her a drink, leaving the two of them alone. She made her way around the couch and took a seat right next to him, her dress riding up to reveal smooth, toned thighs.

“See something you like?” she teased, catching him studying her. When he didn’t reply, she carried on. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. A curious boy like yourself has certain _urges_.”

Kate leaned in closer, her hand moving to Stiles’ thigh and began stroking up and down the length of it, edging closer and closer to his crotch which was thankfully not being effected by what she was doing.

“I could help relieve the tension-“

“I’m gay!” Stiles blurted out before shoving her away and racing to the nearest bathroom to throw up.

He stayed there for a while, heaving and wanting to jump in the shower but refraining. When Scott popped in, he looked anxious but Stiles eased his worries by saying it was the alcohol. It was only a half lie.

“Kate smells like wolfsbane,” Scott said after an awkward silence. “It’s not strong, but it’s lingering. I don’t know what that means.”

“It means she’s a hunter and she’s doing something probably illegal,” the human sighed loudly, standing up and washing his face with cold water. They exited the small bathroom and Stiles was glad that he couldn’t see Kate anywhere. “I’m gonna get out of here. I’ll see you later, man.”

Scott looked unsure but then nodded, “Text me when you get home.”

As Stiles made his way out of the house, he finally caught sight of the hunter though she had some other kid – Isaac Lahey, his brain supplied – caged up against a wall. The guy didn’t look too troubled, his eyes wide as they usually were when someone interacted with him, so Stiles continued his way out the door in a drunken haze.

Stumbling out of the Argent house, Stiles made his way down the quiet street in the direction of his own home. It wasn’t that cold but it was eerie which sent a chill through him. The mix of all the elements was making him paranoid and careless, especially when he kept hearing a rumbling growl coming from the shadows.

Normally Stiles would go and investigate the noises but right now he knew it was best to get home as quickly as possible. He knew of the things that went bump in the night and he knew he was no match for them.

He was halfway to his house when he realized that he could have gotten Derek to pick him up.

“God damn it!” he cursed, tripping over his own feet in the process.

Stiles saw something flash past him, making him spin round looking for whatever it was. He heard the rumbling some more, but he felt like he recognized it.

“D’rek? That you?” he called out, slurred, into the dark street.

There was no reply, so the teen started walking again. The sounds followed him, though, as did the flashing movements he caught in his peripheral vision every now and then. However, he didn’t feel threatened or scared at all – it was comforting to know he wasn’t by himself. When he spotted a glimmer of red, he called out again.

“Sourwolf, don’t be mean! Stop hidin’ from me. I’know it’s you, D’rek!”

The beast in the shadows howled and rushed past him, too quick for the drunk teen to really focus on, but the noises were gone and he was left alone. Thankfully he only had to walk to the other end of the street before he was at his house.

When he got inside his home, he raided the kitchen for some snacks and made his way upstairs to his bedroom while sending off a text to his best friend. As soon as he was in, he dumped the food on his desk and switched the lamp on. He threw off his shirt and kicked off his shoes and socks, turning to close his bedroom window. That was when he saw the man lying in his bed, the covers up to his waist as he lay there with his arms folded behind his head and his eyes staring at the roof.

“Well, howdy, Derek. You got here fast.”

The room was quiet for a long time as Stiles took a seat at his desk and just watched the wolf. The warm feeling was back – separate from the effects of alcohol – and he couldn’t help but smile at how Derek looked perfect in his bed. He was just about to say something when the alpha spoke, or grunted.

“I can smell her all over you.”

It took Stiles a moment to realize who he was talking about and when he did, a nausea overcame him at the thought of Kate touching him. “Yeah, I really need a shower.”

He quickly gathered his bed clothes and rushed out, missing the worry etched on Derek’s face at the boy’s reaction. Stiles made sure that it was a quick and thorough shower, his pale body becoming splotchy as he scrubbed harder than normal, wanting the feel of Kate’s hands on him gone.

Changing into boxers and a comfy t-shirt, Stiles sauntered back to his room. The shower had made him feel better in many ways – the echo of the hunter’s touch faded and the alcohol in his system somewhat lessened.

Derek was much and such in the same position as before. Stiles didn’t feel as nervous as the last time when he turned out the light and joined the alpha in his bed. With the confidence that came from the blanket of darkness, Stiles moved himself closer to the warm wolf and felt the man relax and turn towards him, his breath fluttering across the teen’s face.

“I know it was you following me tonight,” Stiles whispered. When the wolf tensed, the human reached out and softly placed his hand on his firm chest. “Thank you.”  
Derek relaxed again and the two of them drifted off to sleep, a sense of protection wrapping around the teen.

 

* * *

  
As the weeks went by, his days basically revolved around school, Scott, his dad, and Derek. Everything was pretty much normal; school was only slightly challenging, Scott was still utterly love-struck, his dad was still complaining about the healthy food his son fed him, and Derek. Well. Derek was still a mystery. The teen only saw the alpha a few times during the week, a lot less than Stiles would like, and when he did show up he was just as cryptic as usual. He got angry and frustrated easily, arguing with Stiles more often than not, and the wolf seemed to have some internal dilemma he was fighting when Stiles got too close to him.

But there were some nights when Stiles was finishing homework where the alpha would climb into his room and head straight for the bed, sometimes bothering to remove his clothes and sometimes not. The human liked those nights the most. They didn’t need to make conversation, didn’t feel any awkward moments. Derek would just get into bed and fall asleep, often waking up an hour or so later to drag Stiles away from his desk and into the warmth of the sheets. Yeah, Stiles definitely liked those nights the most.

 

The teen was plating up his and his dad’s dinner when the house phone rang one evening, the Sherriff getting up to answer it with a grunt. The conversation went on for a few minutes, Stiles not able to tell what it was about until his dad hung up and came back through. He could tell from the way his father held himself and his tired expression that he had been called back into the station.

“I gotta go, kiddo. Put that in a box for me?” he said as he put on his gun belt and jacket.

“Sure,” Stiles replied, doing as he was asked. “What’s happened now? Bradley mess up the filing again?”

The Sherriff sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. “Mr Lahey was found unconscious in his home after throwing bottles into the street and shouting at his neighbours. There doesn’t seem to be any foul play, just the effects of alcoholism,” he said with a wince, avoiding eye contact with his son. Alcohol was still a touchy subject and would bring up bad memories for the two men.

“What about Isaac? Is he okay?” Stiles asked quickly, an attempt to move the conversation along. He wasn’t really friends with the quiet boy but he knew of him.

“No word,” he stated, taking the container of food from Stiles’ hands. “I’ll see you later, kid. Don’t stay up too late. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” the teen said and watched his dad leave. He ate his dinner in silence, texting Scott the details of what he knew before retiring to his room where he completed his homework and went to bed.

The next day at school word was out about Isaac’s father but the teen himself wasn’t there for obvious reasons. Or so Stiles thought. When he returned home later on in the day, his dad was just getting in too.

“Are you friends with Isaac Lahey?”

“No, not really. He’s on the lacrosse team that’s about all I know. How come?” Stiles asked, hoping for more info and a reason for why his dad was asking.

The Sherriff let out a deep sigh. “We searched the Lahey house. Looks like the man didn’t treat his son all too well. We found padlocks on the boy’s bedroom door and an empty freezer in the basement with another lock and traces of blood. We’re looking in to it. No sign of the kid though.”

Stiles felt himself pale as he thought about someone he knew being abused without him realizing. Everybody knew Isaac was a shy and quiet boy, and the fact his dad was probably beating him behind closed doors made everything fit together.

But then the blurry memory of the kid being cornered by Kate Argent flashed in his mind, Isaac’s distressed expression and the way the woman was toying with him.

Stiles felt sick.

 

* * *

  
Derek was getting his life together. It’s what he had to do and thankfully he had the funds to make it a less painful affair. The people of Beacon Hills who knew his family were ecstatic that a Hale had finally returned. Supposedly, it wasn’t the same without a Hale in residence. The good people of the town were helpful and nosy but Derek tried his best to not lash out at some of them who pushed him too far.

The biggest improvement and the most difficult was moving out of the ruined family home and buying an apartment with the help of the Sheriff. Derek was wary, unsure if Stiles had mentioned anything to the man but Stilinski simply stated, “My wife liked you guys. She’d want me to help you get back on your feet.”

The apartment was new and clean, the scents fresh and uncontaminated. There were two good-sized bedrooms, an open-plan living room and dining/kitchen area, a spacious bathroom, and a utility room. The only major downfall was that it wasn’t near the Preserve but he could see the mass of trees from the large living room window, so he could deal.

When he was looking for a place to call home and furnishing the chosen apartment, the ridiculous question of ‘would Stiles like this?’ kept creeping into his head. Derek knew his wolf was already besotted with the bizarre teenager which was why he felt the need to nest and provide only the best things for Stiles.

Though he pushed and pushed the feelings away, Derek knew it was pointless. His wolf had already dug its claws into him and was pleading for the human part of Derek to pounce already. But he couldn’t because that would make him as appalling as Kate.

The fact Stiles and Kate had met made Derek’s blood boil. When he shadowed the teen on his walk home, he could smell the woman all over him. Knowing that she had touched his mate made him crazy. All he craved was to charge into the party and tear the woman’s throat out.

But if he had done that, he wouldn’t have been able to spend the night lying beside Stiles, listening to his soothing heartbeat and breathing in his intoxicating scent. Stiles didn’t seem to mind sharing his bed with the wolf, his scent spiking with arousal sometimes which drove Derek wild.

So he kept coming back – his need to be with his mate overwhelming his sense of self-preservation.


	5. Chapter 5

The gossip at school the next day was all about Isaac and the fact he was missing. The peoples’ worry only increased as the days turned into weeks. The police were still trying to find any evidence of where, when and how the boy disappeared but they continued to come up empty. Stiles knew his dad was struggling with the dead ends and was thankful that he still made time to have their traditional Saturday breakfast at May’s Diner.

It was during one of these get-togethers where Stiles had his head thrown back in hysterics and his dad was chuckling to himself when the bell over the door chimed and Derek Hale walked him. The Sherriff noticed the man and called him over much to Stiles’ distress, especially when the alpha joined them, taking a seat next to the teen.

“Stiles, this is Derek Hale. Derek, this is my son Stiles. How have you been keeping?”

“Nice to meet you, Stiles,” the wolf said casually though the human could see the glint in his eyes. “I’ve been well, sir. I’m settling into my new apartment. Thanks again for helping me with that.”

The two men continued to speak, their conversation easy. Meanwhile, Stiles couldn’t take his focus away from the man next to him, the fact he was so friendly with his father shocking him. His dad had helped Derek get an apartment?! The two were joking and smiling, speaking like they were long-time pals. It freaked Stiles out. But it also left the teen staring in awe as he watched the wolf’s face light up, becoming more attractive than he normal was. It was a good look that deserved to be there more often.

They had been sitting there for half an hour or so and the Sheriff was over at the counter paying the bill when someone new entered the diner, causing the werewolf to tense all over, his gorgeous smile gone. The way they were sat, Stiles and Derek had their backs to the door and all the teen wanted to do was turn around and glare at whoever had caused such a reaction. But he didn’t need to move because the person who entered made their way over to them. When they reached their booth, Stiles was horrified to find Kate Argent – with a predator smile directed at Derek – and her sharp hand placed on the alpha’s arm.

“Well, well, well. Derek Hale. It’s been a while,” she purred, her dirty blonde locks cascading over her shoulders. Stiles had to admit that to look at her she was stunning but that didn’t matter, not when her character was so wicked. She glanced over at the human, doing a double-take, and raised an eyebrow, her smile turning into a smirk which made him feel sick. “And I see you’ve made a friend! Stiles, it’s been a while. I was hoping I’d see you a lot sooner than this.”

Her words produced a low growl from Derek, his eyes glaring at her as he turned his body in a way to shield Stiles. The human pressed his hand against the alpha’s back, trying to calm him down. The rumbling quietened and the tension eased a little, but Kate had noticed this interaction.

“Huh. My wolfie boy’s got himself a plaything! How adorable,” the woman hissed. She leaned in closer, her lips almost brushing Derek’s cheek. She spoke slowly, sultry, softly, and Stiles could hear every word. “I thought I’d screwed you up nice and good, but I guess there’s always room for more pain.”

The alpha roughly pushed past her as he rose from the table and left the diner, bidding goodbye to the Sherriff who was making his way back to the booth at the time. John looked back at the closed door with confusion, the expression still on his face when he reached Stiles. Kate had walked away to get herself a table at the back of the café.

“What the hell was all that about?” Stiles’ father asked as he sat back down, taking a gulp of his coffee.

“No idea. Saw someone and left. Strange guy,” Stiles muttered, looking out the window to the parking lot, deep in thought with the echo of the beautiful Camaro’s tires screeching.

John simply nodded, a comfortable silence descending. It only lasted a few minutes.

“He’s too old for you,” his father stated, his eyes on his coffee cup as he brought it to his lips again.

“Wh-what?!” the teen sputtered. “I don’t know- what are you- dad, _what?_ Jesus! I thought you said I wasn’t gay?”

“I saw the way you were ogling him, Stiles. And yes, I did say that. But you’re probably, what, uh, bisexual? Is that what it’s called? Whatever it is, he is too old. I do not approve.”

Stiles just gaped at his father like a fish, unsure if his brain would ever work after this conversation. During Stiles’ brain malfunction, the Sheriff reached over and stole his son’s leftover bacon from his plate.

After breakfast, John went to work and Stiles walked home since his dad had driven them both to the diner. It was a nice day so the teen didn’t complain too much, but he did feel uneasy after the encounter with Kate. The way she had spoken to Derek, how she seemed to still hold some control over him, filled Stiles with an unnatural hatred. Deciding he needed to be lightened, he called Scott and the two of them decided on having a gaming day.

That night when Stiles got home, Derek was already curled up in his bed.

* * *

  
After school, Stiles decided to go for a swim since lacrosse practice wasn’t helping him release the excess energy that came with having ADHD – being pushed around wasn’t really a form of exercise. He hadn’t swam in weeks what with the amount of time he’d spent with Scott and Derek, but he really needed to get back into it and as soon as he dove into the quiet pool, he felt an almost relief. 

Most people thought the lithe teen was just skin and bone but the truth was that he had defined muscle, his body that of a swimmer or runner. The baggy clothes and layers he wore daily masked the real physique that Stiles possessed. 

He was coming up to his 27th length, his muscles aching in the best way, when he saw someone enter the room. He didn’t pay them any attention, just simply continued on with doing his own thing. When he came to the edge of the pool, taking a breath before he was about to flip and swim back, someone grabbed his hair and pushed him under the water. In his shock, Stiles opened his mouth which only let the water flow in. Choking and writhing while his lungs filled, he tried to grab at whoever was holding him but his strength was lost.

The person pulled him up, and as soon as Stiles reached the surface he gasped and spluttered, trying to clear his airways before being shoved down again. He almost expected it this time so he had a good intake of breath in him, remembering to keep his mouth shut as he continued to try wrestle free.

Being pulled back up again, he instantly grabbed at the person and attempted to pull them into the water, his hands tugging hard on what appeared to be long, blonde hair until he was punched in the face once, twice. He was disorientated and probably would have drowned if the person hadn’t still been clutching his hair.

Stiles realized who it was before she even spoke.

“I’m sorry, baby,” she purred, her other hand stroking his wounded face gently. “I didn’t want to mark you up but you weren’t cooperating.”

“Wh-why are you d-doing this?” Stiles choked out, his strength gone.

Kate’s eyes narrowed and she pulled the teen closer to her. “Because you need to learn your place. I don’t want you anywhere near Derek ever again, okay? He’s dangerous.”  
The teen just stared at the woman, disbelief etched on his face as he sniggered. “Yeah? I’m touched that you care so much but, if I’m honest, out of the two of you, you’re the one I see as the real threat.”

“That’s because you don’t know the truth.”

“The truth? You mean how you manipulated him and killed his whole family? That truth?”

Kate looked taken aback but was soon snarling, “You don’t know anything, you little shit!” before pushing Stiles’ head below the water again and back up. “Do not go near him or I swear you will regret it.”

“Are you threatening me?” Stiles teased once the water was all coughed up.

The blonde laughed, “No, this is me threatening you: Don’t think for one minute that I won’t kill you just because you’re human. I’ll take great pleasure in taking you apart piece by piece while your boyfriend watches, then setting you alight right in front of him.” 

She pushed Stiles down and away, causing him to flap around in the water until he was stable. When he looked up he found her walking out the doors, leaving him alone in the pool. His face was sore and the chlorine was only making the cut on his cheek worse so he heaved himself out of the water and lay on the tiles, his thoughts consuming him.

There was no way in hell that Stiles would stop seeing Derek – the man was his alpha, his friend, and someone the teen felt deeply for. All he wanted to do was protect the wolf in whatever way he could even though the man could take care of himself. Stiles knew it was probably in everyone’s best interest to stay away like she said, but the human never took orders well unless they were from his father. And even then he still had trouble.

Gathering himself, he staggered to the locker room and took a long shower, cleaning the chlorine and scent of Kate off of him. When he looked in the mirror his left cheek was red and swollen, the cut on the cheekbone still weeping slightly. He wasn’t sure what he was going to tell his dad or Scott, but what unnerved him more was what he was going to tell Derek.

In the end, his dad hardly noticed due to working so much and when he did see the bruising, he was quick to believe that it was from lacrosse practice. Scott and Derek were harder to convince due to the built-in lie detector they each retained. After some time he was able to sell them the idea that he had been ambushed by Jackson and Co. however, the alpha was still very pissed at the mistreatment the teen underwent.

This caused Derek to want to show Stiles how to protect himself when such a situation arose. The teen had expected to be attacked by the two wolves and figure out his own escape but it ended up just being the alpha and the human alone in the woods for a few hours.

“So, am I supposed to take you down or what?”

The wolf laughed, actually laughed outlandishly at what Stiles had said. “You won’t be able to take me down, Stiles,” the man smiled brightly. “You can try all you want but it won’t happen. No, what I’m going to do is show you a few manoeuvres that will help you get out of different situations.” 

And so the day progressed with Stiles on his ass most of the time, looking bewildered at how he had been thrown down again and again and again. The wolf would always be there to make sure he was okay before taking his hand and hoisting him back to his feet, ready to go again. Stiles knew he shouldn’t enjoy being manhandled so much but he couldn’t help it when it was Derek doing the manhandling. He knew the alpha was being easy on him as well – not using even half his strength – which the human very much appreciated.

The two ended up running through the forest – Derek chasing Stiles – since the teen didn’t believe that the wolf could find him in a matter of minutes just from scent alone. So Stiles had taken 15 minutes to get as far away as he could, back tracking and attempting to mask his scent by jumping over brooks and scraping up fresh dirt, until he found a hideout under a toppled tree. He’d only been crouched for about 2 minutes before he saw Derek racing over to him. Stiles had tried his best to escape – sprinting away with a joyous cackle, darting between the trees as if that was going to help him lose the man stalking him.

It all came to a halt when he was grabbed around the waist and pushed up against a large tree, Derek crowding against him with a blissful grin as he gestured for Stiles to be quiet. The teen struggled to stifle his laughter, pressing his face against the alpha’s chest while the man kept his eye on the dog walkers that were a few metres away from them.

When Stiles had gotten a hold of himself, he leaned back against the tree and gazed up at the man who still had his hands on the human’s waist. Feeling eyes on him, Derek looked down and fortunately that breath-taking smile was still on his face, his wondrously coloured ocean eyes sparkling brightly. Stiles just watched as the man leaned in and placed his face against the pale column that was the teen’s throat, his nose tracing patterns and his lips moving as if he was whispering something. 

Stiles closed his eyes and, with a burst of confidence, wrapped his arms around Derek, pulling him closer as his long fingers found their way into the man’s dark hair. He felt and heard the wolf growl approvingly, pressing further into the teen before pulling away slightly, his lips making their way up to his jaw, his ear, his cheek, and then finally, finally his lips-

Or they would have if Stiles’ phone hadn’t started blaring an obnoxious tune, startling the two apart and pulling them back into the present.

“Fuck,” Stiles cursed and wrestled his phone out of his pocket, checking the caller ID to find Scott’s name flashing.

The moment was gone and so was Derek – or at least he was a few steps away from the human which was basically the same thing. He had no other option but to answer the call.

* * *

  
Everyone in Beacon Hills initially thought Isaac’s disappearance was simply the kid running away from home, but when another two students vanished, it was clear something else was going on. The police were working overtime trying to find all three teenagers – Isaac Lahey, Erica Reyes, and Vernon Boyd – but there was no trace of any of them. It didn’t help that the school was off for Spring break, meaning there were more people getting in the way of the investigations.

Stiles was getting anxious. He didn’t know whether or not Kate had something to do with what was going on so he kept his mouth shut. Scott didn’t seem too worried about the missing students but Derek was somewhat curious – though not enough to look into it himself. The sheriff was hardly at home and when Stiles went to drop off food he’d always find his dad slumped in his chair with a mountain of paperwork overtaking his desk.

What also worried the teen was that he hadn’t had many dreams lately, only one every now and then slipping in of Derek’s pure black wolf prowling outside the human’s home at night. 

It was a Tuesday night when he had a peculiar vision that made his heart race and stomach turn. He saw a familiar but badly disfigured black with white speckled wolf – Peter, his mind supplied – snapping its fangs at three chained-up people, their faces blurry but still recognizable. He couldn’t pick out any specific details about the place they were kept, only that it was badly lit and looked abandoned. The wolf was growling and barking, and at the order from someone not visible, attacked each victim, taking time to bite them hard, causing them to scream out in agony.

The teen shot out of bed and got dressed on impulse, his phone in hand dialling his best friend’s number. Said friend answered after Stiles called a second time.

“ _’llo?_ ” 

“Scott, meet me at the high school in fifteen, okay?” Stiles rushed out, running down the stairs and leaving a note in the kitchen about staying at Scott’s.

“ _What? Why? What’s going on?_ ” was the wolf’s groggy reply.

“I need your help. I think I can find Isaac, Erica and Boyd. Just please, do as I say and trust me,” Stiles pleaded as he got in his jeep and tore off into the night.

He only had to wait a few minutes before Scott was joining him – on foot – with his hair still messy and clothes rumpled. The human got out of the vehicle and began walking towards one of the back entrances to the school that he knew was locked but not alarmed.

“Stiles, what are we doing here?”

They reached the correct door and the teen gestured for his friend to open it, and after a moment of deliberation he gave in and forced the door open. Walking through the dark, empty school was a lot creepier than the human had initially thought.

“Still haven’t answered me, man.”

“I need you to get Erica and Boyd’s scents so we can track them. You said Derek had been training you to do this kind of thing, so let’s put it to practice!” he responded with a grin, guiding them to the lockers he knew belonged to the pair.

Once Scott had broken them open and taken his fill of their scents, they shut the lockers and exited the building. The wolf instantly found a trail.

“They’ve gone east,” he announced, getting in the passenger side of the jeep and fastening his seatbelt. Stiles simply fist pumped the air and started the engine, driving off in the direction his friend told him.

 

They had gone in a circle around Beacon Hills before Scott – with his head out the window like a dog – finally found a trail that pointed out of town and soon they were an hour into the drive, curious and eager. Stiles had told his friend about the dream and the wolf quickly questioned why he didn’t ask Derek to help. The human admitted that he didn’t want to trouble the man and that if his hunch wasn’t correct he would be avoiding humiliation. He made a comparison to Scott doing something embarrassing in front of Allison and the tan skinned teen immediately understood.

Part of him knew he should have at least messaged the alpha, but he also knew that the man would do everything in his power to get Stiles away from the situation. 

They were far out in the countryside, everything looking the same with the amount of trees and fields in the darkness. Scott directed him up a dirt path and they made it to an old, abandoned farm that screamed ‘creepy’. Stiles shut off the jeep and the two sat there looking up at the largest building, an old milking parlour or cattle shed.

“Can you sense anything? Smell anything?” the human whispered.

Scott stuck his nose against the crack in the window, instantly pulling back and looking like he was about to sneeze. “There’s that irritating smell from that plant, whatcha call it, uh…wolfsbane. I can’t smell anything past that though. But I can hear a few heartbeats, some faster than others.”

“Dude, we have to get closer,” the human said then jumped out of the truck and started jogging towards the barn doors. There was a broken metal rod in the grass he tripped over, so he grabbed it to use as a weapon as he scrambled closer until he reached the large door. Scott joined him, looking as if he was going to crap his pants at any moment.   
After a moment of preparation Stiles grabbed hold of the door handle and pulled it open, expecting the inside to be pitch black but stunned to find there to be lanterns dotted around the building in the distance. He slowly walked in, holding the door open for Scott before edging further inside. 

The interior was all brick walls and rusted metal partitions, and pipes that lined the whole building. To his left through a doorway was the milking parlour itself with the rows of pens long since used, from what he could see. As the teen crept away from the main door, he found cubicles and old gates filling one side of the room he was in, hardly any light hitting the space which caused the shadows to be large and ominous.

“Stiles, there’s werewolves!” Scott hissed from where he was still at the door, groaning in pain when he tried to follow his friend into the barn and was hit by an invisible force field or something, throwing him back on his ass.

As if on cue a howl echoed throughout, shaking the neglected building. Stiles’ heart raced as he turned to sprint back out the door but he was tackled by a heavy and menacing beast, a scream tearing from him as he felt the metal rod he was holding pierce into his thigh.

The wolf on top of him sniffed him as his growl continued to rumble throughout the barn, the constant blood-red eyes throwing Stiles into a panic. He turned to see where his best friend was, only to find him still at the door and fighting with an invisible wall, wolfed out and howling. Something was definitely preventing the teen from entering.

“It’s a little thing called mountain ash. It keeps you pesky dogs out and this one in,” a sultry voice said out of nowhere, the blonde walking towards them like a Bond villain. “I did not expect Derek’s bitch to offer himself up like this, not after our little chat,” she laughed, “But this is perfect.”

Stiles winced as she stood on his thigh, making the rod go in deeper and causing the human to cry out. He turned to Scott and shouted, “Get out of here!” before he was being dragged away deeper into the building.


	6. Chapter 6

Derek was lying in his own bed when he felt the distress from his beta. When he heard him howl, the alpha shot out of bed and was poised for an attack until he realized the threat wasn’t near him but somewhere else. He got dressed quickly and ran out of the apartment, bounding through the deserted streets towards Scott’s home, but when he arrived he could only hear the heartbeat belonging to Mrs McCall. Next was the Stilinski household, however, this was empty all together. His wolf whined at the disappearance of his pack, of his mate. The man tried to follow their scents but it was no use as the whole town was engulfed in them, no way to differ the many trails around Beacon Hills.

It was about an hour later and the alpha was still stalking through every corner of the Preserve when he saw his beta sprinting towards him.

“What happened?” he all but roared when Scott came to a standstill in front of him, the teen’s wheezing for breath with a look of complete horror on his face.

“Werewolves,” _gasp_ , “Kate Argent,” _gasp_ , “Stiles.”

Now the alpha did roar, his eyes bleeding red as he took off towards his apartment with Scott trailing after him. When they got there, Derek fished out his car keys and got in the Camaro, his beta climbing in the passenger side.

“Where is he?” Derek growled, wheels spinning as he accelerated away from his building.

“About 40 miles east of Beacon Hills. He had a dream where he saw the three missing students being bitten by a black and white wolf so we went looking for them. When we got there, Stiles went into the barn but I couldn’t. The wolf, it looked feral or something, jumped Stiles and then Kate was there and the wolf dragged Stiles away,” the teen rushed out, his scent full of fear and guilt. “I didn’t want to leave but Stiles told me to, I guess he knew I’d get you. Where are we going?”

“To get Chris Argent.” 

Derek’s head was crowded with thoughts of Stiles’ safety. Why was the teen such an impulsive idiot? Why didn’t he ask Derek for help? It didn’t matter now, what was done was done and all the alpha could do was find Stiles and hope he was okay.

“Was he hurt at all?” he asked Scott as he was speeding down the streets.

Scott looked ashamed before he replied, “I could smell blood.”

The alpha growled – not at his beta but at the situation – and drove faster towards the hunters’ home, his whole body trembling with how livid he was.

When he was parked outside the Argent house, he got out of the car and barged into the home. The man he was looking for was coming down the stairs with a rifle pointed at Derek, the hall light illuminating the scene.

“Hale. Care to explain why you’re in my house?” Chris asked calmly, his eyes darting over to the beta. “Scott? I can’t believe you’re one of them,” the man hissed, his gun pointing at the teen.

“Dad, what’s going on?” a dark hair girl said as she appeared behind her father, a crossbow in her hands. “Scott?!”

Ignoring the teen drama that was about to ensue, the alpha growled and glared at Chris. “Your fucked-up-in-the-head sister has attacked a human. My human. Scott, my beta, knows where he is and I thought you’d want to be there when I finally slaughter that bitch.”

Allison gasped and looked at her dad, obviously confused at the accusation and threat. But Chris lowered his weapon and nodded his head, “We’ll follow you. I knew she was up to something, but…” he turned to his daughter, “I’ll explain everything on the way.”

With that, Derek left the house and retreated back to his car, waiting for the Argents to get into their own vehicle before speeding off in the direction Scott said.

* * *

  
Stiles was hauled through into the back of the barn, past a row of locked stalls, where he was discarded amongst old hay and metal gates, the wild-looking werewolf that attacked him pacing in front of him. The teen was still trying to comprehend what had happened and the pain in his thigh was pulsing through him. Thankfully the metal rod had missed his arteries and had pierced the meaty muscle instead. Nevertheless, he was really starting to regret all of his decisions.

Looking around the dimly lit room, he noticed that there were different levels of growling coming from the paddock stalls he had passed and a shiver of fear ran down his spine. Remembering what Scott had said, he knew there were werewolves locked away only metres from where he lay. Stiles didn’t know what mountain ash really was but, by the looks of how his friend reacted, it was basically a strong, invisible cage.

Kate Argent walked over to the teen on the floor, her predatory smile in place as she scrutinized him. It had been a couple weeks since their meeting in the high school’s pool and Stiles still felt an indescribable hatred towards her. 

“I don’t know why you’re here, but thank you. It’s clear Derek cares about you so you’ll be the perfect way for me to torture him some more,” she smirked, crouching over the teen.

Stiles snarled at her before spitting right in her face, causing the woman to backhand him harshly. “You little shit!”

The teen rubbed his jaw and cheek at the stinging sensation.

“You know, I was going to get Peter to turn you, make you into a wolf so I could use you for my little experiments.” The hunter smirked wickedly. “But I think I’ll just have him kill you. Slowly. Maybe get the new ones to join in. They’re so uncontrollable, who knows what they’ll do.”

Stiles felt sick with dread as he realized that Isaac, Erica and Boyd had already been turned and they were the ones he was hearing. 

“Experiments? Do you even know what that means? Because when I look at you, I see more ‘blonde bimbo’ rather than ‘mad scientist’,” he bit out, his cheek still stinging from the slap.

“You’re a mouthy bitch, aren’t you? I should cut out that tongue. Didn’t your mother teach you not to be rude to people?” Kate purred, pulling a knife out from her belt and stroked it against the teen’s face.

“Don’t you fucking dare talk about my mother!” Stiles snapped, reaching out to grab the woman and pull her hair harshly, only to have her push onto his injured leg and make him wail.

“Stupid kid,” she bit out as she righted herself and placed that sickening smile on her face again. “But to answer your first question, I’m testing new strategies and contagions. We need to develop new ways of eradicating the world of these filthy animals. There’s still some work to be done but it’s been pretty successful so far. I mean, look at Peter. He was normal – for a werewolf – but now he’s basically feral with a dependency on me.”

“So you’ve been picking out random teenagers, kidnapping them and turning them into werewolves to, what, torture them in any way your twisted mind comes up with?”

The woman grinned at Stiles’ words. “It’s a dog eat dog world. I’ve got to get ahead somehow.” 

Stiles laughed mirthlessly, frowning at the blonde. “You’re a sick fuck, you know that?”

This was the wrong thing to say because Kate instantly closed up, muttering, “Bored now,” before picking up something heavy and smacking the teen across the head, knocking him out cold.

 

When Stiles woke up, he wasn’t sure how much time had passed. He was still on the floor but propped up against the wall, his wrists tied with course rope to D-rings in the brick wall, making it difficult and painful to move. His thigh was still bleeding but not too heavily, though his head was aching considerably. Overall, Stiles had felt better.

His eyes were still unfocused as he gazed around the space until he found Peter prowling the room and Kate kicking away some dark powder at one of the stalls then entering it with what looked like a cattle prodder. He heard the electric charge and the agonizing groan as she pressed it against one of the werewolves – hidden from the human’s sight, thankfully – before unhooking a chain from the paddock wall and pulling the animal out, the collar tightening around the dark skinned man’s throat.

The hunter pulled Boyd towards the back of the barn where Stiles was sat, but when Peter started growling and barking, the other werewolves whined. It creeped Stiles out as the animals were clearly sensing something that the humans couldn’t. Kate simply chained Boyd back up in his stall and grabbed a rifle that was resting against one of the walls and strutted towards the entrance of the milking parlour. Before she made it there, the door creaked open and revealed Chris Argent.

Kate lowered her weapon and waved her brother in, yelling for the wolves to shut the hell up. 

“Took you long enough to catch on to what I was doing up here, bro,” the blonde teased as she walked back down the paddock towards Stiles.

“Kate, what are you doing? Why do you have the Sherriff’s kid tied up? What did you do, Kate?” Chris questioned, eyes examining every corner of the building and looking into different stalls where the three other werewolves were kept. 

“Well, Chris, I was about to feed the boy to the wolves since he was trespassing, but you interrupted me. And you know exactly what I’m doing here. Dad’s pipedream? I’m making it a reality.”

Stiles watched as the siblings conversed, his panic rising at the mention of being eaten – not in the good way. He kept making eye contact with Chris who seemed to be trying to mouth something to him, except that he still couldn’t focus too well and so couldn’t understand what the man was telling him.

Kate came up to Stiles and slapped both of his cheeks, “Come on, cutie. Look alive.” When he rolled his head, trying to look at her and frowning, the hunter pressed down on his wounded thigh and pushed the rod deeper, causing the teen to cry out loudly as tears sprang to his eyes. 

When a howl from outside echoed around them, Stiles knew instantly who it was. And so did Kate. “There we go!”

She picked up her rifle again and turned on her brother, surprised to find that he already had a gun pointed at her. “Oh, Chris. Dad would be so disappointed in you.”

“Dad was insane, just like you are. There is a code, Kate. Why can’t you just follow it like the rest of us?”

Kate stalked closer to her brother. “Because these animals don’t deserve that kind of humanity.” 

Just as she pulled the trigger, Chris did too, the two of them wounding each other mildly while the barn door crashed open with Derek, Scott and Allison running in. The alpha was fully shifted, his wolf form more mesmerizing than Stiles remembered, Scott was in his beta form and Allison was armed with a crossbow.

Derek immediately attacked Peter, the two alphas warring with each other while Scott went to Stiles and Allison checked on the other hostages. While all this was going on, Stiles was focused on the hunter siblings who were both injured – Chris at the shoulder, Kate at the hip. The blonde began shooting randomly, or what Stiles guessed was random but was actually the woman aiming at stealthily placed canisters of petrol and oil. Soon the cans were exploding, sending gas and flames through the barn, the sparse hay catching alight. One of the canisters was set above the stall where Allison was currently rescuing Erica, the flames engulfing the pen. 

“Dude, get her!” Stiles coughed when his friend looked from his girlfriend to his best friend and back, not sure who to help. Chris was already trying to extinguish the fire around his daughter but it was no use.

The yowls and roars coming from Derek were heart-breaking for Stiles as he watched powerlessly as the Hale wolves fought, blood and fur spreading as fast as the fire was. He wasn’t sure who was winning and could only hope and pray that his alpha would be triumphant. 

The fire was reaching closer and closer to Stiles as he sat there, still bound to the wall. The heat in the barn was stifling, the smoke filling his lungs with every breath. He could feel consciousness slipping from him until he felt someone tear the ropes from the D-rings and pick him up effortlessly. He was shocked to find that it was Boyd who was saving him, the collar still around his throat with the chain hanging from it freely. He carried Stiles down the paddock, avoiding the flames and the fighting wolves until another shot rang out, causing the burly teen to stumble and fall.

He let Stiles go, the wolf growling at the pain which the human was sure was from the wolfsbane in the bullet. Boyd stood and strode after the blonde woman who had fired at him and grabbed her by the throat, the rifle dropping from her arms as she was lifted into the air. Stiles couldn’t tear his eyes away from the dark skinned teen snapping Kate’s neck like it was a twig, a roar breaking out of him as he done it.

He came back over and picked up Stiles again and quickly made his way to the other side of the large room and out the door, finally removing the human from the burning building. Outside sat Chris, Allison, Scott, Isaac and Eric, which meant Derek and Peter were still inside.

“Derek!” Stiles cried out, coughing up his lungs as the smoke fought back. “Someone save Derek! Please!”

When no one moved, Stiles became hysterical. “What’s the matter with you?! Do something! He’ll die!”

“Stiles, it’s too dangerous. The building’s unsafe. Derek can handle himself,” Chris said, his attention on Boyd who he was removing the wolfsbane bullet from, carrying out the same operation as Deaton had done to Derek. When Stiles attempted to drag himself back towards the barn, he felt someone grab him and gently wrestle him until he gave up. Scott’s puppy dog eyes weren’t going to work on him no matter how hard the wolf tried.

All Stiles could do was watch the inferno with tears falling from his bloodshot eyes, his heart breaking. He couldn’t believe what was happening, how no one was doing anything to help. Stiles didn’t understand why he hadn’t dreamt of this, why he hadn’t been warned of this incident like he had with others. It didn’t make any sense.

Why did he have to be injured? Why couldn’t he have werewolf strength and recovery without being an actual wolf? Why did it seem like he was the only one who cared what happened to Derek?

It seemed to go on for hours – but was probably on 15 minutes – when he heard an almighty howl pierce through the night. Stiles cried harder, his fear and grief overwhelming him at the sound. He could hear Scott in the distance saying something to him but he wouldn’t listen. Nothing he could say would stop the pain in his chest, the sensation that his heart was being ripped from him.

It wasn’t until he was pulled into the man’s strong embrace that he realized his worst nightmare hadn’t come true, that the howl he heard didn’t belong to Peter.

“Stiles,” Derek rumbled softly, his face hiding in the teen’s neck as he pulled him closer. The human instantly melted into the embrace and sobbed uncontrollably. 

They stayed that way for a while, the two not wanting to let go, not even when Chris was mentioning going to the hospital. When Stiles did pull his tear-streaked face away to actually look at Derek, he was overcome with adoration and irritation.

“You’re such an idiot. How could you do that?” the teen scolded. 

“Me? I’m the idiot? I’m not the one who went bounding into some barn on a whim with no form of protection!” the wolf snapped back.

“I had a steel rod!”

“Which is now impaled in your leg!”

The two glared at one another, neither surrendering to the other. The tension was rising between them until it reached breaking point and Derek darted forward, crushing his lips against Stiles’. The teen immediately opened up for him – internally fist pumping – and pulled the alpha closer to his body, trying to ignore the way the rod shifted. He felt Derek’s hand rest against his thigh and then a numbing sensation was filling the appendage as the pain was taken away, Derek’s mouth working expertly against his own as a great distraction.

When they parted, Derek’s eyes were a brilliant red and Stiles was breathing hard.

A cough interrupted their stare off and when Stiles turned to look at who it was, he found his best friend and Chris Argent looking away, the other werewolves comforting each other, and Allison was beaming her perfect dimple smile at him. 

“Sorry to ruin your moment, but I kind of really want to get my dad to the hospital. I’m pretty sure you should get that checked out too, Stiles,” she said sweetly, pointing at the metal gouged in his leg.

“You’re right,” was all the teen replied with a nod, trying to untangle himself from Derek. This is when he noticed the alpha was butt naked. “You’re naked.”

Derek snorted and stood up effortlessly with Stiles in his arms, bridal style. “That’s what happens when you sprout fur and four legs.”

Allison kissed Scott and the two murmured grossly adorable things to each other before the girl helped her dad into his truck, then got in the driver side herself and drove away. The Camaro was parked next to the jeep so Derek walked the remaining people over to the vehicles, placing Stiles gently in the passenger seat of his black car then moving to the trunk to pull out a spare change of clothes.

“Uh, Derek. What are we going to do with these three?” Scott asked, his puppy eyes on full effect.

The alpha walked back over to them and scrutinized the three teenagers. “It’s up to them, really,” he replied. Acknowledging the beta wolves, he continued. “You can either go off on your own becoming omegas, or you can join my pack. The choice is yours.”

The trio of teens looked at each other before Isaac spoke up timidly, “Will you be able to help control this…thing?”

“Yes, of course.”

That was all it took for the curly haired male to be convinced, making his way over to Derek with a nod of his head and a small smile. The other two were silently communicating to each other until Erica snorted and rolled her eyes.

“We’re in, too.”

Derek nodded and then let out an enormous roar which instantly had the new betas bearing their necks in submission. Stiles wasn’t sure if there was more of a ritual later on or if that was it, but the teen was succumbing to the night’s activities, his eyes closing as he nodded off.

* * *

  
Waking up in the hospital was not something Stiles liked experiencing. It had only happened a handful of times and usually due to his own stupidity, which, now thinking about it, was basically just the same as this time. 

As he blinked into the world again he felt someone tighten their grip on his hand. Turning his head to see who it was, he tried not to feel too disappointed that it was his dad and not Derek.

“Don’t worry, son, he just popped out to get a drink. He’ll be back soon,” John clucked which only made his son blush. Stiles wasn’t sure what the story was or how much his dad knew about the incident but it was safe to assume that the Sheriff knew Derek was involved somehow.

Just as he was about to ask, the door to his room opened and in walked the alpha looking exhausted and yet still so attractive. When they made eye contact, Stiles couldn’t stop the shy, goofy grin from spreading across his face, the aching in his chest gone and filled with a warmth that would be suffocating if the teen didn’t relish in it so.

“Ugh! Stop it, I don’t want to see that kind of thing,” the Sheriff proclaimed, getting up from his chair and pulling on his police jacket. “It’s good to see you awake, kiddo. I was worried about you,” his dad murmured to him. “I need to talk to the doctors. Don’t do anything stupid for a while, okay?”

“Sure, dad,” Stiles promised. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” As he was passing Derek he threatened, “Don’t you do anything stupid either, Hale. I’m not above arresting you for even the most petty of things.”

Once the Sherriff had left with a wave to his son and a hard stare at the alpha, Derek took the seat he had occupied and pulled the human’s hand into his own, his eyes never leaving Stiles’. 

“So, what does my dad know?”

“Almost everything. He knew a lot of it beforehand, I guess your mom told him about the dreams. He took the whole werewolf thing pretty well considering,” the alpha replied, his fingers absentmindedly playing with Stiles’. It was really soothing for both of them.

“He knows,” the teen uttered, trying to process that fact. His dad had always known about the dreams, now he knew about werewolves, and he knew just how ridiculously stupid Stiles had been on that night. “Wait, how long have I been asleep?”

“A couple of days, but you kept waking every so often. They said it was a mix of exhaustion, blood loss and smoke inhalation. But you’ll be discharged today.”

A comfortable silence descended on them, Stiles enjoying the feeling of having Derek’s hand grasped in his own, the wolf’s attention solely on him. “You said almost everything. What doesn’t he know?”

The alpha suddenly looked uncomfortable, nervous. “It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll tell you later, okay?” Stiles nodded and yawned, somehow still tired after being unconscious for two days. “Get some more rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

The human drifted off to the feeling of a kiss against his forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments and kudos; it really means a lot that people are reading and enjoying this story.
> 
> I also have a completed Sterek fic called [Cicatrix](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4158858) if you're hungry for more while you wait for the next update.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: [wreckage-of-broken-dreams](http://wreckage-of-broken-dreams.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

After the first week of being home recovering, Stiles was going out of his mind. His thigh was still healing, the whole leg tender to the touch. The only thing that truly made it feel normal was when Derek was extracting the pain – which was every night since the wolf didn’t seem to want to stay in his own bed. Not that Stiles was complaining, no sir. 

The Sheriff was still working hard on trying to conceal the truth about what happened to the missing kids. Kate Argent was part of the whole thing and Chris was able to put forward a statement saying how his sister was insane and that he had tried to help her but ended up being shot. The teenagers had kept quiet about most things, only mentioning that she treated them like dogs and that they didn’t understand why she had taken them. Their families had been relieved to have them back – bar Isaac’s since his dad had been arrested for abusing his son. But the Stilinski’s had a spare room, so the Sheriff was quick to take the boy in. 

When it came to Stiles’ injury, everyone blew it off as the teen being his usual clumsy self, doing something he probably shouldn’t have been. 

His days were spent gaming, masturbating, moaning about his problems, and reading the books Deaton gave him. The first one was all about his ‘psychic bond’ to the Hale wolf pack, going into detail about the different ways people can have visions or sense when something was wrong. Most of the stuff that was written down Stiles had figured out for himself over the years. But there was still one thing that was bothering the teen and he knew that when he was able to drive or walk further than 15 steps he’d see the vet about it.

The other book was surprising – it was all about werewolf packs, statuses and relationships. He found it absolutely fascinating, doing extra research on the web to back up certain aspects and such. When Stiles reached the chapter about relationships, he found there to be a post-it note stuck to it with ‘ _Read this with care, Stiles. Anything you’re unsure about, please come see me_ ’ written on it. And what the teen read was enlightening, to say the least. 

It spoke about mates and soul bonds – how only an alpha experiences the full effects of such a relationship, how it’s the wolf that chooses who it deems fit, someone who is equal measures the same and the opposite of the alpha. It went on to how a wolf starts to court their mate and how the need to scent mark the person can be uncontrollable. The need to be close to them and protect them from all sorts of danger forcing the alpha to sometimes go to drastic measures. 

Stiles found it _very_ enlightening.

He wanted to bring it up to the wolf but neither of them had mentioned anything about their possible relationship, Stiles simply revelling in the feeling of when Derek held him as they slept or kissed him chastely on the forehead. It was never enough yet it was better than having nothing. 

Stiles wanted more, so much more. He just didn’t know what to do or how to bring it up to the man even though he felt completely comfortable talking about everything else in the world. It was obvious that there was a difference in their relationship since that night, the two becoming a lot closer and Derek more relaxed when he was around the younger male. But there was no distinct definition of what they were or how they felt – all of which Stiles was growing frustrated with.

The Sheriff knew that there was something going on between Stiles and Derek, however he didn’t know about the sleepovers they had every night since the teen got out of the hospital. It was better for everyone that way.

 

When school started up again, Stiles was still limping and taking painkillers. He couldn’t take part in lacrosse – to Finstock’s relief – so on the Monday after school, the teen made his way to the vet clinic to have a word with Deaton since his best friend wouldn’t be working. The bell rang as he hobbled through the door, thankful that the place was empty though he could hear a cat mewing in the back. The vet walked through and didn’t appear surprised at all to see the teen. 

“Mr Stilinski, how nice to see. What can I do you for?”

“I have some questions. About my dreams,” Stiles replied, pulling the books from his bag before looking back at the dark skinned man. “And about mates.”

Deaton raised an eyebrow and quirked a smile at the boy, opening the hatch and letting Stiles walk through to the back room. He placed the books onto the examination table and waited until the vet was in the room before he spoke. 

“I don’t really know where to start. Most of the stuff about my visions I had already figured out or been told by my mom. My dreams are always really clear about what’s happening and when something major is going to occur, I always see it. But I never saw Derek finding me, being trapped in the burning building, killing Peter, kiss-“ Stiles stopped himself, not wanting to go too personal. “I wasn’t warned about any of that and I don’t know why.”

Deaton seemed to be mulling over what the teen had said, trying to come up with a reason for this while Stiles stood anxiously waiting, his fingers tapping against the metal table and teeth gnawing on his bottom lip. 

“You were present during this incident, right?” Stiles nodded. “Well, it seems to me that you being there is the reason why you couldn’t see it happen beforehand. You can’t see your own future – no Seer can – and so with you being present during this event, you would not have been able to have a premonition of it.”

Stiles let his words sink in, nodding his head as it all made sense to the teen. He’d never been able to see his own future, much to his dismay, so it made sense that he wouldn’t be able to see Derek’s when he was part of it. However much it made sense though, it still left Stiles feeling disheartened about the future. How could he keep Derek safe if he couldn’t see the dangers that awaited him? A simple answer would be to keep his distance from the man but that thought alone caused the teen to feel sick and desolate. How could he stay away when it caused him such anguish?

“There’s nothing I can say that will help you decided whether or not staying with your mate will protect him better, that’s something you need to figure out for yourself.”  
Stiles looked to the vet in alarm and studied him before asking, “How did you know I was Derek’s mate?”

A knowing smirk set on Deaton’s face and Stiles had to concentrate really hard on not rolling his eyes at the cryptic man. “The wolfsbane bullet should have killed Derek that night you brought him to me. The poison travels fast and with being shot in the arm so close to his heart, it would normally have taken a mere 15 minutes to kill him. But he was strong and continued to fight it – all the while he kept you close, taking comfort in your scent and voice. An alpha would most likely go to his beta werewolf before going to the human in the pack, whereas he came to you first.” Deaton’s smirk softened, as he watched Stiles’ reaction. “It was obvious that his wolf had chosen its mate, and that Derek had found his too.”

The room fell silent as the teen took in every single word the vet said, his chest warming as they settled and reassured him that his research was correct. He hadn’t realized he’d been so anxious to know the truth, to know that there was something deeper – something remarkable – going on between the wolf and the human.

It should scare him how much he feels for the man, how much the thought of not having him in his life hurts, how he will be tied down forever to one person at such a young age. It should scare him but instead it fills him with a radiant ecstasy that makes him feel safe and secure.

He knows Derek, and he knows that the man doesn’t like talking about feelings and personal stuff, so it made sense as to why he hadn’t brought it up. Yet it also made him worry that the alpha wouldn’t ever bring it up, that he would keep himself away from Stiles as a way to protect the human or possibly himself.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” Deaton asked, breaking Stiles out of his reverie.

“Nothing’s set in stone until I’m marked, right?” the teen questioned, gnawing on his lip. He wanted to make sure that there was another step in the process, that he hadn’t mistakenly missed a vital stage in the bonding of Derek and him. Deaton took the question a different way, however, his face becoming grave.

“You don’t have to consummate the bond until you’re ready, Mr Stilinski. You don’t have to be his mate if you don’t want to. There is no pressure in this situation for you to settle into an unrequited bond. You have the control, Stiles. An alpha cannot and will not pressurise anyone into being its mate – it’s against their nature. And we both know that Derek would never push you into anything you weren’t sure about.”

The young male nodded his head, not sure what to say. Instead, he grabbed his backpack and thanked the vet for his help before darting out of the clinic and into his jeep. Standing for so long wasn’t good – his thigh was in knots and the pain was a steady pounding. He gently massaged the area around the injury for a moment, trying to ease some of the tension, then started the vehicle and drove off towards home.

 

The rest of the week was much and such the same – Stiles couldn’t do much physical activities which meant he had a lot of pent-up energy that he needed to release some way. The only distraction was to masturbate, which the teen liked to take his time with in case Derek showed up and wanted to help out. Of course, this never happened. But when the wolf would come over later at night, his eyes would flash their brilliant red as he took in the scent of the room, a hungry growl echoing around the room as he stared at Stiles sprawled out on the bed. The human would raise an eyebrow at the alpha in a challenge, trying to urge him to give in to his instincts, but Derek would look away and attempt to calm himself down before shrugging off his clothes and joining Stiles on the bed, pulling him close and sniffing him without going any further.

Even when they woke up in the morning – Stiles on his back with Derek’s body covering half of him, a leg tangled with the teen’s, an arm curled protectively around Stiles’ body, and the wolf’s face nestled in the crook of his neck – there wasn’t more than a quick press of lips to his cheek before the older male put his clothes on and jumped out the window, leaving Stiles with the image of how hard the man was in his pants.

It was rather frustrating, to say the least.

So by the time Friday had rolled round, the teen had had enough. His leg was feeling somewhat better so he wasn’t hobbling as distinctly, and when the final bell rang he hurried down the halls towards the lockers, changing out his books then waiting for his best friend to show up. Soon enough, Scott and Allison were making their way over to him, their hands intertwined. It was quite surprising how much closer the two had gotten after the whole palaver with Kate, but it seemed to bring them together instead of apart – much to Chris Argent’s annoyance. They had the whole ‘star-cross’d lovers’ thing going for them. 

“Hey, man. How you feeling?” Scott smiled as he pulled his locker open.

“Oh, you know. Leg’s sore, head’s buzzing, I’m sexually frustrated, and I hit my hand against the doorway on my way out of class so that’s a little tender too.”

He looked up at his best friend to find him and Allison staring at Stiles, distress written across their faces. When it was clear neither were going to say anything in reply, Stiles got to the point.

“I need you to tell me where Derek lives.”

Scott’s face scrunched up as he looked at his friend. “If I tell you, you have to promise me never to talk about whatever it is you two get up to.”

With a roll of his eyes, Stiles promised and took note of the address, then high-tailed it out of there as best as he could and drove off towards the other side of town.  
Once he arrived at the apartment building, Stiles sat in his jeep for at least 20 minutes, deliberating whether or not he should actually go and see the alpha. He could feel a warm sensation trickling through him as he drove closer to the property until he was parked and the feeling was strong and steady. Stiles knew this was a side effect of being Derek’s unclaimed mate, but he wondered if the wolf felt anything different or if it was more intense, if he felt the sickness of longing when he wasn’t in his mate’s presence.

Sucking in a deep breath, the young male got out of his jeep and made his way to the main door. Scott had given him the code to get into the building and had told him which floor the man lived on, so Stiles shuffled towards the elevator and forced himself to press the button to the 5th floor.

The doors opened and the teen walked out into the hallway where he was faced with the entrance to Derek’s home, his body starting to shake with nerves. Stiles wasn’t sure what he would say or what would happen – but he needed to find out.

Chapping on the door once, twice – the door quickly swung open and revealed a half dressed Derek Hale, his broad chest glistening with beads of sweat, tufts of hair sticking up or against his forehead, his sweatpants loose on his hips. Stiles couldn’t help but let his eyes dance all over the man, taking in every detail as he gnawed on his lip and fisted his hands into his pockets. It wasn’t until his eyes met bleeding red ones that reality sunk in. And he was pissed.

“Stiles-“

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me we’re mates?!”

Derek froze, his eyes going wide and his expression full of fear. It was an odd look for the man but Stiles didn’t really care at the moment – all of his frustrations overflowing.  
He pushed the wolf back and away from the door before he slammed it shut, pointing a finger at Derek as he stalked closer to him. “You had no right to withhold that sort of information, Derek. Why? Why didn’t you say anything?”

The man in question finally shook his head out of his stupor and stood his ground, eyes boring into the human.

“I did what I thought was the right thing to do.” Derek glanced away, his barrier slowly crumbling. “I didn’t understand what was going on to start with but when I did, I knew that being my mate would be a life sentence for you. Stiles, you’re young and smart – you have the chance to do anything with your life! Being tied down to me is not what should dictate your future.”

“You think being bonded to you would ruin my chances of having a great future?” Stiles scoffed, running his hand through his messy hair. “To be honest, Derek, the idea of not having you in my life sounds terrible. It makes me want to curl up in a corner and die because with you not being there beside me would make my life irrelevant.”

The alpha continued to shake his head at Stiles’ words, as if not believing them or not wanting to believe them. “You don’t know what you want. You don’t know what being bonded to me will truly be like. Becoming mates is not like dating or whatever – it’s not something to take lightly, something that will only last a month or so. It’s forever. Even after death.” Derek watched the teen with a sadness in his eyes. “I’m giving you an out, Stiles. So take it. I’m trying to give you what’s best.”

The room descended into silence, neither looking at one another. Stiles could feel the tiny pinpricks of tears making themselves known as he tried to take in Derek’s words. After a long minute, the wolf turned and started walking away.

Stiles wasn’t done, though.

“No. No, you’re not giving me ‘what’s best’. You’re being selfish, Derek.”

“Selfish? I’m being selfish for wanting to protect you from me, from my life?” the man spat.

Stiles wiped away a stray tear and limped closer to the older man. “You’re not protecting me. You’re punishing yourself and punishing me, too. Do you have any idea what it feels like for me? I can feel the bond, Derek. I always have. And the only thing that I want – that I need – is for you to stay with me.” Stiles was right in Derek’s face, his fury rising as he started hitting the man’s chest as he spoke. “You are my protection. You are my refuge. I don’t ever want to be without you but you keep pushing me away. Derek, I need you. Don’t do this to me,” he whimpered as his quiet sobs wracked through his body.

He felt ridiculous as he cried for something he never knew he truly needed until it was being taken away from him. 

“I just want you to have the life you always dreamed of having,” Derek whispered softly.

Stiles glanced up and swallowed, seeing the agonizing emotions on his mate’s face. “Stay with me and I’ll have exactly that.”

The wolf let out a whine before reaching forward and pulling the human into his chest, his arms wrapping around Stiles protectively as he pressed his face into the boy’s neck and breathed. The teen felt himself instantly relax and hold the man closer.

“If you really want this,” the alpha started, his voice soothing, “And you understand the immensity of it all, then I need you to tell me right now.”

Stiles pulled back slightly to gaze into the man’s eyes, finding a hopefulness there that the teen had never seen before. It made the pressure in his chest ignite, the flames coursing through his veins.

“Derek, I want you. I want to be your mate. Forever and always.”

As soon as the words had settled, a flash of red eyes was the only warning before Derek crashed his lips against Stiles’ in a heated kiss that had the human gasping for more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't as good as I had hoped, but oh well. Maybe you still enjoyed it?  
> Only one more chapter to go!


	8. Chapter 8

Stiles felt himself being pushed back against the front door, Derek’s mouth still attacking his in a frenzied clash of lips and tongues – it was perfect. His hands roamed all over the older male’s naked torso, the touch electric as he let himself be consumed by the wolf.

The teen could feel himself growing hard in his pants as Derek began grinding against him, the man’s thigh between Stiles’ and his face buried in the pale skin of his neck, the stubble and teeth creating a thrilling sensation. Soft whimpers filled the room but when the wolf growled and quickly ripped the boy’s shirt apart with his sharp claws, a loud groan escaped Stiles, his head falling back against the door while Derek’s mouth made its way to his right nipple.

A low rumbling echoed around the living room as the man’s lips, tongue, and teeth continued to assault the sensitive bud, his clawed hand teasing the other. When he moved both hands down to Stiles’ waist – nails scraping to create red lines – then down to the younger male’s ass, he grabbed at the round globes, fingers digging between his crack before moving to his thighs where he hoisted the teen up. 

Stiles wrapped his legs around Derek’s waist, only to cry out as the pain in his thigh flared. The man quickly tensed, all evidence of the wolf being there was gone as Derek’s eyes were back to their blue-green-gold colour and filled with worry.

“Sorry, it’s just my leg,” the human murmured, shifting slightly to try ease the ache. 

Instead, the alpha moved his hand down to where the wound was and took the pain away – Stiles watched as the black veins travelled up from his hand to his chest, his long skinny fingers tracing the patterns as he let out a contented sigh.

“Thank you,” Stiles sighed, earning a gentle, yet full of love and adoration, kiss in reply.

After that Derek wasn’t so fervent as before, taking his time as he covered Stiles with kisses and marks. When the teen moaned out the man’s name, a growl snapped out of the wolf then he carried the younger male through the apartment and into the bedroom, laying the teen onto the bed and climbing on top of him.

Stiles let himself be submerged in the feeling of Derek surrounding him, the weight of his body hovering over him as the man scent marked every inch of his torso before moving down to the waistband of his pants, nosing the trail of dark hair and breathing him in. The teen couldn’t help but thrust his hips up in search of something, some friction, some heat. Derek simply growled in response and flicked the button undone, the zipper down.

The wolf resumed his sniffing and teasing, pulling off the human’s pants, shoes and socks until he was left in nothing but his boxer-briefs, a darker stain at the front where he was leaking. Derek whined at the sight, his mouth instantly attaching itself to where the head of Stiles’ cock was dribbling underneath the fabric. The sensation caught Stiles by surprise, it produced a string of moans while his hips jerked up and his hands searched for anything to hold on to. 

With a quick flick of his wrist, Derek had shredded Stiles’ underwear to pieces, revealing the teen in his full glory. Stiles couldn’t help but whimper and cover his face as the wolf took in every little detail of his mate – the pale skin, the defined muscles, the scattered dark moles, the long cock that wept for him. It was embarrassing and overwhelming for the teen but he didn’t want it to be over. 

Removing his hands, he found Derek to be watching him with a look of awe that had the younger male thrown. When their eyes met, a flash of red was the only sign that the wolf was still present, everything else was simply Derek Hale. Raising up, he twisted his fingers through the man’s dark hair as he pressed their lips together, his tongue licking into the mouth and tangling with the others’. 

“If I’m gonna be naked, then it’s only fair you are too,” Stiles said when he’d pulled away, their faces still only inches apart.

The man slid off of him and stood up beside the bed, slowly pushing down his sweats and exposing himself to the teen – thick uncut cock jutting out, bouncing with each twitch it made. Stiles couldn’t help but gawp at the mouth-watering man before him, his long fingers fisting his cock in the need to feel _something_.

Derek pounced a moment later, smacking his hands away so he could get his mouth on the throbbing dick. Stiles hissed as he watched the wolf devour his cock, taking the full length and burying his nose in the hair at the base. He carded his fingers through the older male’s hair, tugging every now and then when Derek’s tongue would twist in the best way or when he felt himself pressing against the back of his throat. There was no way he was going to last much longer.

Coming off his dick with a pop, Derek’s mouth moved further south to where he sucked on his balls then licked at the tight ring between the teen’s cheeks.

“Derek, stop or I’m gonna come!” Stiles rushed out, pushing the wolf away from him before it was too late which earned him a growl but the man complied. “You’re even less of a talker than you normally are.”

The alpha looked at his mate and bowed his head in shame. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to be sorry,” he reassured quickly as he leaned up and stroked the wolf’s hair. “I know what you’re like but I really like your voice, too. And, not that I’m complaining about anything that’s happened so far, but this is my first time. I’d like there to be some communication.”

“I know, I know! I’m sorry,” the man pleaded, leaning into the hand in his hair. “It’s just…you have no idea what you do to me, how you bring out the wolf so effortlessly. I just need to take my fill of you. I can lose control of my human side so easily so I need to concentrate on that so I don’t hurt you and-“ he looked away, eyes nervous, “And I’m scared I’ll frighten you away. With my actions or my words.”

The shame Derek felt was almost palpable and Stiles hated it. “Hey, hey,” he softly said, trying to get the man’s attention. He tugged his hair so that they were facing each other again, staring into his mesmerizing eyes before he kissed him with all his might. 

“Derek, I don’t know if you realize this but I’m pretty madly in love with you and nothing you can do or say will make me leave you.”

The man’s eyes widened and a whine escaped his throat, his nose bumping Stiles’ before he pulled back.

“I want this. I want you. I need you to be gentle with me to start with but I want you to lose control. I don’t want the wolf to be something you feel the need to hide from me. I know I’m safe with you, no matter what. We’re mates, Derek.”

It was silent for a while with Stiles running his fingers through Derek’s hair while the man seemed to be processing everything. The human let him have the time, knew it was what he needed and what he’d never had before. This may have been Stiles’ first time but it was also the first time Derek had someone who loved him for who he really was.

“Not yet,” the older man finally said, meeting the teen’s whiskey eyes. “We’re not mates yet. The bonding’s not completed.”

“True. So let’s get on with that, shall we?” Seeing the apprehension on the wolf’s face, Stiles gnawed on his lip. “I mean, we don’t have to. Nothing has to happen – sex or the mating bite. I just thought it was what we both wanted, but if it’s not then-“

“I want this. I want this so bad, Stiles. I just don’t want you to regret it.”

“We’ve been over this. I am not going to regret this.” He sealed the promise with a kiss. “Tell me about the bite. What should I expect?”

Taking a deep breath – of Stiles – Derek replied, “I don’t know precisely when I’ll bite you – it’s instinct, I’ll do it when it feels right. You might feel the same pull and bite me, I can’t be sure. I don’t exactly know much else since I wasn’t really told about it, Laura was meant to be alpha so she was taught this stuff. All I do know is that when the bonding is complete, we’ll be connected to each other and you’ll have heightened senses.”

Stiles nodded his head and leaned closer to his mate, rubbing their cheeks together. “All that on top of being with you every day? I can’t see any downsides to this arrangement.” A snort from the wolf made the teen smile, but then he remembered something that wiped the grin away. “Shit! I forgot to mention earlier – Derek, I can’t see your future if I’m in it. That’s why I never saw what happened at the barn with Kate and Peter. I won’t be able to protect you.”

Derek gazed at him for a moment, his eyes searching Stiles’. A perfect smile appeared on his face as he leaned in close and said, “I don’t need to know anything other than that you will always be at my side.” He then kissed along the teen’s jaw towards his ear and gnawed on the lobe, emitting a low moan from Stiles.

Pulling the man even closer, Stiles whimpered, “I need you, Derek. I need you inside me. I need you to mark me and let everyone know that I belong to you. Please.”

A low rumble from Derek vibrated against his chest and he was pushed on to his back, the wolf getting back to where he had left off and soon Stiles’ semi was at full mast once again. Derek’s mouth went back to the tight hole as he lifted Stiles’ hips up and rested his legs on his shoulders. He licked and sucked at the entrance, lapping at it as the teen relaxed and let out profanities when the wolf’s tongue pushed in repeatedly.

“Taste so good. Can’t wait to be inside you,” Derek growled, causing Stiles to whimper.

The ring of muscle loosened enough to let a finger join the menacing tongue easily, thrusting in and out and around, stretching it out enough to fit another finger. When the teen let out a hiss of pain, Derek retracted his fingers, apologizing, and reached into the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out a new bottle of lube.

Once Derek had coated his fingers, he re-entered them while Stiles took deep breaths and willed himself to stay relaxed, bearing down on the fingers as they entered. It wasn’t sore but it was slightly uncomfortable, his body not used to the odd intrusion. That was until the fingers brushed against the bundle of nerves inside him, producing a loud moan. Derek kept up his movements, scissoring his fingers enough to fit a third one in, pressing against Stiles’ prostate to ease the ache.

When the older man was satisfied with his work, he reached for the lube and lathered his throbbing cock before pressing it against his mate’s entrance. With a nod of consent, Derek slowly pushed in inch by inch, stopping and retracting before easing back in. Stiles continued his deep breathing, eyes screwed shut as he felt Derek’s huge cock almost split him. There was pain, though his mate took some of it away, enough that he could still feel everything but that it wasn’t overwhelming him.

The wolf bottomed out, keeping as still as possible while he waited for Stiles to relax some more and get used to the feeling. It took a few minutes but finally the younger male started circling his hips, urging Derek to move as little mews escaped him. The man slowly pulled out almost all the way before pushing back in, a growl reverberating throughout the room as he continued his careful and controlled thrusts.

Stiles wrapped his legs around Derek’s waist as his hands reached out to touch the man’s strong thighs, grounding him as he concentrated on the feel of his mate thrusting in and out of him. He was getting used to the sensation of being full and wanted more. Focusing on the brilliant red eyes that stared down at him, Stiles groaned out, “More, Derek. I need more. Please.”

The wolf roared and leaned down to crush his mouth against the teen’s in a heated kiss while his hips sped up, pounding into Stiles relentlessly, the slap of skin on skin making the movements hotter and the new angle hitting Stiles’ sweet spot over and over. Derek bit the younger male’s lip, travelling to his chin, jaw, throat, leaving little nips and bruises before gnawing on his earlobe.

“God Stiles, you feel so good. So tight and warm. Perfect. So perfect for me. Need to mate you. Need to breed you. Fill you up. You want that, Stiles? You want me to fill you up? You’re going to smell so much like me. Mine.”

All the human could do was whine and keen, nodding his head and pulling the wolf closer and meeting each thrust with reckless abandon. He was going out of his mind, all the sensations overwhelming him in the best possible way. Stiles didn’t realize what he was doing until it happened – the stretch of skin from shoulder to neck in front of him was too inviting and he couldn’t stop the intense urge to _bite_. He sunk his human teeth into the flesh hard, the copper taste somehow satisfying.

Derek moaned loudly and sat up against the headboard, moving the teen so he was sat in his lap, still facing him, and could thrust up into his mate with gravity helping him grind deeper into him. Stiles reached between them to fist his aching cock and with only a few jerks he threw his head back and exploded all over himself and the alpha.

The wolf couldn’t contain himself at the sight of Stiles’ submission and immediately bit his teeth into the pale flesh presented to him, a devastating thrill coursing through his whole being. Derek kept up his ruthless pounding, unaware of what was happening to his dick as it began to swell at the base until he heard Stiles’ heartbeat begin to race faster and the scent of anxiety to come off him in waves.

“Is that…do you have a knot?” the teen asked, his voice tense.

Derek couldn’t think, could hardly comprehend what was happening as he continued thrusting, the bulge pushing into the tight hole and back out, growing bigger each time and stretching the ring of muscle. 

“I-I…I don’t know…this-this hasn’t h-happened before…” the man gasped out, trying to make himself stop but the need to breed was too much.  
Stiles was moaning in both pain and pleasure from what Derek could smell. “I’m sorry…just a little…bit…more!”

As soon as his knot popped into his mate’s hole and fit snuggly, the wolf roared out as he came – ropes of thick come spurting into Stiles, coating his insides. His sharp teeth found the bite on his mate and reattached himself to it, growling as his cock pulsed. He faintly heard the human gasping and the smell of fresh come shooting onto his chest and stomach, telling him his mate had came once more, satisfied.

 

It was almost as if the wolf had blacked out – he couldn’t keep track of the time or what had happened after the mating bite. He woke to the feeling of Stiles tracing the marks on the crook of Derek’s neck, his cock still buried inside of the teen.

“Hey,” Stiles grinned when they made eye contact. He looked even more beautiful with his dishevelled hair, bright eyes, and the alpha’s red bruises littered across his pale skin.

“Hey,” he smiled back, voice husky and eyes slowly blinking. He leaned in and captured Stiles’ lips in a warm, languid kiss.

When they pulled apart after a few minutes, the teen spoke up. “So, you have a knot.”

Realization struck the wolf and an involuntary whine escaped. “I’m so sorry, Stiles. I didn’t know that would happen-“

“Derek,” the human interrupted, “No need to apologize. I like it.” To prove his point, he circled his hips and groaned while Derek hissed and thrust up. “It was a surprise, sure. But a pleasurable one. So don’t apologize because you are going to knot me over and over again in the future.”

The alpha relaxed and shyly grinned at his mate, happiness radiating from both of them.

“How long until it goes down?”

“How long has it been so far?” Derek replied.

Looking over at the alarm clock, Stiles answered, “Like, 10 minutes.”

“A knot can last up to half an hour.”

Nodding his head with a yawn, the younger male rested his head on Derek’s chest. “’Kay. I’m just gonna sleep then.”

The wolf hummed and wrapped his arms around the teen, letting himself drift off as well.

* * *

  
By the time the teen woke up it was dark outside and the knot inside Stiles had went down so that when he moved, Derek’s flaccid cock slipped out with a trickle of come. It wasn’t exactly an unpleasant feeling but it was odd, however it was what made the wolf wake up and shove his fingers into the gaping hole, keeping the rest of his seed from spilling out.

“Dude, I need to go to the bathroom,” Stiles murmured, pushing off Derek and his fingers before waddling to the toilet as his stomach rumbled. By the time he got back to the bedroom, his mate was gone but he could feel where the man was, something pulling him towards the kitchen where he found the naked alpha casually leaning against the island, ordering pizza.

The teen carefully limped over to him and curled himself around the man, breathing in his scent which was spicy and warm, while Derek pulled him close and took away the soreness. Once the order was made, Stiles leaned in to kiss the man, their lips lazily moving against each other.

“How are you feeling?” the alpha asked the teen, nosing the pale column of skin behind his ear.

“I’m good. Really good. A little tender, but so good,” he idly babbled with a smile.

“Good,” Derek snorted, still sniffing the human all over. “You smell amazing. Delicious. I just want to eat you up.”

With the pressure of thick fingers entering him, Stiles let his head fall back with a groan. “I’m okay with that.”

The wolf began sucking a mark onto the teen’s collarbone, his teeth scrapping and biting to draw out beautiful sounds. Suddenly the man let out a low growl, pushing Stiles behind him as he crouched and faced the danger at the front door. There was a thundering knocking against the door, and if Stiles focused he could make out the sounds of Scott, Allison, Isaac, Erica and Boyd.

“Derek, it’s just the pack. Calm down,” the human murmured, stroking the man’s sides. It was at this moment he realized that they were both pretty damn naked. Darting away to the bedroom, Stiles grabbed the closest articles of clothing – sweatpants, boxers, and a Henley.

Throwing the sweats at the alpha, the teen dressed himself and waited for Derek to open the door where the ragtag bunch tumbled in. As soon as they had gathered themselves, they were hit by what Stiles could only imagine was the stench of pure sex, their faces scrunched up.

“Hi guys,” the human waved from behind Derek who was now thankfully – partially – dressed. There was still dried come on his chest, however.

“What’s going on?” Scott choked out after a long pause.

Stiles look around, feigning innocence, before replying, “Nothing much. What’s up with you guys?”

“It stinks in here, Stiles! Like…like sex and Derek and you and- why? Are you guys…?” the look of disgust on Scott’s face – gold eyes shining and fangs elongating – sent a stab of pain through the human’s gut. The alpha growled threateningly, eyes glowing and claws sharpening when he sensed his mate’s reaction.

“I thought you were okay with this,” Stiles mumbled.

“I am, but I told you I didn’t want to know any details!”

“Well it’s not my fault you barged in here! God, Scott. You’re such an idiot. And a hypocrite,” the human snapped.

“You can’t smell what I’m smelling right now-“

“Shut up, Scott! Just shut up,” he barked.

Surprisingly, the beta wolf did as he was ordered – the look of bewilderment on his face would have been comical if Stiles wasn’t so confused himself. He didn’t know where that burst of rage came from. 

“Why are you here?” Derek questioned the group, moving back to touch Stiles.

The pack all looked at one another, communicating through eyebrows and glares – after so little time, they’d already picked up some bad habits from their alpha. Finally, Isaac spoke up.

“We all _felt_ something. I don’t know how to explain it but it warm, like the sun was shining on me. It made me feel good. We all experienced the same thing. We don’t know what that means, though, so we came to ask you...” he trailed off, keeping his eyes to the floor. 

The new wolves were still getting used to their improved senses – not having time to try them out before since Kate had them caged – so it was obvious why they’d want to check out every little thing that went on with them. But what was really curious was how Scott – a veteran compared to the others – needed answers too. Something definitely was going on.

“It’s nothing to worry about. The pack’s just stronger now,” the alpha replied coolly despite the happy rumbling in his chest.

“What does that mean?” Erica retorted, stepping closer to the wolf and his human mate and earning a growl and snap of teeth for getting too close. It all became clear to Stiles.

“It’s because we completed the bond. The alpha has a mate so the pack’s strength has grown. That’s so crazy, I can actually feel you guys!” the teen grinned, concentrating on the ties that bound him to the rest of the pack. Isaac felt nervous, Boyd was indifferent, Erica was attracted, and Scott was forlorn.

“Buddy, what’s wrong? Is it because I snapped at you? You know I didn’t mean it that way,” the human said, gnawing on his bottom lip and wringing his hands.

The tan teen only looked at him, not saying a word. 

“You’re my mate, which means you’re like my second but have more authority over the pack. You ordered your beta to be quiet and so he did as you said,” Derek declared as he crowded against his mate, enlightening the whole pack to the new development. With an intense look at Scott, the alpha managed to speak a multitude of words because the beta soon relaxed.

“I’m happy for you, Stiles,” he said with a crooked smile that lifted all of the human’s worries. The room was filled with a contented quiet, until the female wolf spoke.

“Is the need to hug the shit out of Stilinski the outcome of all this ‘mates’ business? Because I can definitely get on board with that,” Erica smirked devilishly, stalking closer to her prey.

A loud, threatening growl stopped her in her tracks. The older wolf turned his human and bit down on the mating bite, his red eyes glaring at his blonde beta in a deafening warning. All Stiles could do was moan as Derek made it very clear that only he could touch the teen.

“Guys, I think that’s our cue to go,” Allison announced, dragging her boyfriend out of the apartment while the other betas followed suit.

 

When the only sounds in the home were those coming from Derek, Stiles ran his fingers through the man’s hair until his teeth retracted, red eyes still blazing. 

“You’re mine,” was all he said, burying his face in the crook of the teen’s neck.

Stiles couldn’t help but sigh happily, fingers tangled in Derek’s hair again. 

“I know, big guy. And you’re mine.”

 

Stiles was grateful for his dreams, because without them he wouldn't have found Derek. And even though he may not get to protect his mate as well as before, he knew they'd get through anything life threw at them.

Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sad that this is over but I guess I'll just have to create something new...
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read/bookmarked/commented/kudos-ed/ this fic. It honestly means so much to me that people would take the time to read something I've written, so thank you again!
> 
> Until next time...


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